


Catch me if you can

by bagel_sanderson, zeiida



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Detective Akechi Goro, M/M, Morgana is a literal cat, No update on 5/18 (will remove this tag later), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Real Thief AU, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, accidental love triangle, akechi has a blog, but there's not a lot of soulmate stuff, persona 5 royal spoilers?????? i mean it's literally just maruki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 58,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23643916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bagel_sanderson/pseuds/bagel_sanderson, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeiida/pseuds/zeiida
Summary: Akechi looked around, trying to find wherever that pesky thief had gotten off to. There's no way he could've gotten far, it was just a matter of time before he found him, considering he blocked the only exit. This thief- Joker they called him- was an annoyance to deal with and lived up to his name. Considering this thief insisted on playing as if this was a chess game. However, he never allowed Akechi to see the other half of the board."I didn't know detectives kept cute pancake charms." A voice spoke, as if it was in front of him. As soon as he heard the words, the detective froze. There was no way.There was no way that this thief he had been assigned to arrest was his soulmate.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 51
Kudos: 305





	1. Meet me by the vending machines

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, just letting you know that this story updates every **Monday** unless I otherwise state. Thanks for all the support you all have given it means a lot to me! This story was originally planned to be 12 chapters, but with where I currently am with writing, I now realize it's going to be longer than that, I will update the predicted amount of chapters when I figure it out. Without further delay, enjoy!

_“Someone! Please, help me!” A sudden woman’s outcry cut through the night’s silence. Her voice made Akira stop and turn, however he couldn’t see much. It didn’t help that they were standing in a dimly lit area. Though that didn’t stop Akira, his feet were moving before his brain could rationally think about anything._

_“Hey! Get away from her!” He called out to the strange man who was encroaching on the poor woman. He stumbled as he tried to turn to find the voice addressing him. In a drunken stupor, the man tried to whip around, stumbling and Akira wedged himself in between the woman and the man as he fell to the ground. He watched as the man’s face struck the railing nearby, and then the man struggled to stand straight._

_“Damn brat! I’ll sue!” The man bellowed._

_The next thing he knew was the flashes of the police car, and he was hauled away._

* * *

Akira didn’t like the idea of leaving. He hated it. Moving to a new city, essentially restarting his life because of a fake accusation. But he’s supposed that’s how it worked, after all he didn’t have the authority to resist. So he supposed he had no choice but to say farewell to Inaba, at least for now. How was he expected to leave everyone he knew behind? The black-haired teen turned when he heard a knock on his door frame. 

“Hey, you ready to go?” Yu leaned against the door frame. If there was one thing he was going to miss about Inaba the most. It was Yu, no question about it. 

Yu Narukami was his half brother through his mother’s side. When Akira’s father married Akira’s mother, she already had Yu who at the time was six years old. They didn’t live together for long, not as a family anyways. Their parents divorced, but Akira was changed between households, especially when their mother left to work overseas for a year. Their mother was often busy with her own job, so it usually was just Yu and Akira. They kept in contact as much as they could. 

“I mean I guess.” Akira let out a sigh as he took in one last glance of his room. He knew he wasn’t going to be gone forever, however it felt long enough. After all, a year in a place he doesn’t want to be feels like an eternity. Especially when he’s counting down every minute till he can return to Inaba. Akira just shrugged, he was as physically prepared as he could be. He stored the things he didn’t need, and had already sent some of his things by mail to the place he’s going to stay at. “Also thanks for being willing to drive me to the station. I know you’re busy with your job.”

“Hey, it’s no problem, don’t worry about it.” Yu pushed off the door and walked over to where Akira left his duffel bag. He picked it up and slung it over his shoulder. “You sure you get everything?”

“Absolutely positive. Even if I don’t, I guess you’ll just have to drive it down to me then.” Akira teased, yet his chest aching, as it reminded him this will probably be the last time he sees Yu for a few months. Even though they would still be able to communicate through other means, it sucked.

“Yeah right,” Yu gave him a light shove to which Akira chuckled. They both stood in comfortable silence before Yu wrapped an arm around Akira’s shoulders. “You’ll be back. It’s just for the year. Think about it like an exchange program, an opportunity for new things.”

“I’m certain that’s what it will feel like with a criminal background,” Akira mumbled, huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Just make the most of it, you’ve never spent long periods of time in the city. This could be good for you.” Yu tried to reason as he started to guide his brother out the door of the room. Yu removed his arm and checked the watch on his wrist. “We should get going if you want to catch that bullet train, we can talk in the car.”

* * *

“I’ll try to stop by when I can,” Yu suddenly said once they were in the car. His eyes remained on the road, and his voice was steady. Akira glanced at the other, trying to read him, but Yu never was easy to read. He had always been jealous of that ability, being able to keep all his playing cards hidden. He supposed that trait also added to Yu’s ability as a forensic investigator. 

“For visiting, or so you can try to embarrass me?” Akira raised an eyebrow as he glanced out the window of the car. They didn’t have much time left, as he knew the station was drawing closer. As he looked out the window, he wondered how much of Inaba would change while he was gone. He wondered if Yu would change.

“Can’t it be both?” Yu’s voice grew mirthful as Akira rolled his eyes at the response.

“No.” The black-haired teen chewed his bottom lip as it truly started to settle in that he was going. This was it. 

“What high school are you going to be attending again?” The black-haired teenager couldn’t tell if Yu was asking out of curiosity, or if he was asking because he was going to show up out of the blue. As much as Akira would miss him and want to see him, he didn’t want to see him in or right after school.

“Don’t you dare show up there,” Akira’s nose scrunched, his amusement growing. “In all seriousness—”

“Shocking.” Yu quipped, to which earned an eye roll from the student as he continued.

“I’m attending some high school named Shujin Academy, it seems like a pretty big school from what I know.” Akira absentmindedly picked at his bag, unsure of truly what else to do. It made him wonder why this school took him in, especially if it was making a name for itself.

“Anything in the city is going to be a pretty big high school compared to here.” 

“You know what I mean!” Akira found himself finally smiling as Yu managed to temporarily help calm Akira’s nerves. For the rest of the car ride to the station, conversation came easily, as they talked about whatever came up. It always was easy to just talk, when it was just the two of them.

* * *

When they pulled into the parking lot of the station, Yu and Akira both got out of the car. Although what the younger didn’t expect was for Yu to suddenly bring him into a hug. It was short in nature, but what threw him off was that Yu wasn’t exactly a person who gave a lot of hugs.

“Let me know when you get there safely. Please. For my own sake of mind.” Yu stated, it was a demand more than a request. He rested both hands on Akira’s shoulders as Akira nodded. 

“Was gonna text you anyways,” he shrugged, it was the truth. He had full intent on complaining to Yu about the city while he was there. 

“Alright, well. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah… thanks for driving me to the station.” 

“As I said, no problem. Don’t be reckless, okay? You don’t need the extra attention.” 

“Got it. I’ll see you later,” he said that yet he didn’t move. Mainly because he didn’t want to. With a deep breath, the teenager hung his head before looking back up. He took a step, hesitated and looked at Yu who offered him a saddened smile. 

“You’re gonna miss your train.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I gotta go. Alright.” Akira pushed his glasses up, then continued walking. With one last wave to Yu, the teenager melded into the rest of the crowd that wanted to go to the station. 

This was it. 

* * *

_‘Leblanc Cafe, huh? Is this even a house?’_ Akira found himself wondering, glancing at his phone. ‘ _Apparently, it's owned by some guy named Sojiro Sakura, my new guardian for the year. I wonder why he took me in, I mean, I don’t even know this guy._ ’ The black-haired student booted up the directions and rapidly lowered the volume of his phone, praying he could get it to zero before the voice could spew the directions out loud. Once the blue pathway popped up on his phone, he followed it. He glanced at some of the buildings and people he passed. Most people seemed to be walking much quicker than he was used to, and he wondered if that’s because it was becoming night time or if it was because they were in a city. 

For a city like Tokyo, this seemed almost quiet. The people very much reflect the same manner. There wasn’t even much ambient noise, and it wasn’t what he’d expect the city to sound like. He thought there would be more bicycle bells and more conversations that were easy to eavesdrop on given their volume. The area wasn’t very loud in colors either, it may have been the cloudy overcast that had set in, but this place didn’t have any of the fancy city lights, or anything like that. Knowing this it was almost comforting.

Akira hesitated as his phone decided to sputter out, nose scrunching in annoyance as the navigation app quit on him. His steps slowed until he eventually came to a stop due to hesitance. ‘ _Great._ ’ The people walking around him kept scurrying by, and as much as he hated the idea of it, his only viable option was the police officer observing. The teenager wasn’t exactly excited about asking the police, and it seems all of them have somehow already deemed him shifty. 

“Excuse me, sir?” Akira tried his best to remain amicable and polite, sticking his phone in his back pocket.

“What was that?” The police officer turned to him, his eyebrow raised with his arms crossed. He didn’t seem to enjoy being interrupted.

“I’m trying to get to Leblanc Cafe?” The student’s head tilted slightly as he asked the officer who’s gaze shifted as he thought. With a deep breath, the officer tried to pinpoint the location, and Akira was almost worried he wouldn’t know.

“Residence of Leblanc Cafe?” He repeated after, voicing his uncertainty. Akira was about to pardon himself and try and find it on his own, however the officer must’ve remembered. “It’s in an alley further back, once you see the apartments with stairs, take a right. Can’t miss it.”

“Thank you, sir,” Akira gave a firm nod then left to follow the directions. 

‘ _Apartment with stairs, apartment with stairs, apartment with st— oh._ ’ He repeated it like a mantra in his head, trying to avoid forgetting the phrase. If he did he would have to walk over back to the police officer, and he had a feeling he wouldn’t be very pleased. Once he came to the apartment, he took the street to the right, immediately spotting the store’s hangover cover that said “coffee&curry”. Interesting combo to say the least. There were a few plants that gave the otherwise drab appearance some color, and a simple short menu written on a chalkboard outside. ‘ _Well here goes nothing._ ’ Akira truly didn’t know why his nerves kicked in, cause he was certain that he was going to be fine. Currently, he was panicking as his hand met the doorknob and pushed.

He stepped inside, and the place was rather modest and simple. The distinct smell was the first thing he picked up, coffee with a hint of spicier aromas. It must’ve been from the curry, and Akira’s mouth immediately watered at the thought. There was the TV that was currently going, and an elderly couple and their coffee in one of the booths. As the couple conversed with themselves, there was a man sitting on the barstool, nose buried in what seemed to be a crossword puzzle.

“Down seems to be… the name of a shellfish that is used in pearl farming.” The man’s brows were slightly furrowed with thought. He must’ve been the owner, why else would he wear that apron? The man had on a shade of light pink button-up shirt, beige pants, and white shoes. The man’s entire appearance to Akira screamed that he was pretty orderly. From his back styled hair, to how clean his white shoes were.

Akira cleared his throat, interrupting the silence and the man’s concentration. The man on the barstool looked up and turned to him.

“Oh, right.” The man said, completely gliding over his statement. “They did say that was today.” The man folded his newspaper, setting it on the counter as he got up from the stool. At the same time, the elderly couple that remained stood up. The old man’s fragile voice cut off anything that the cafe manager had to say.

“We’ll be going now, the payment is on the table,” and with that Akira did his best to get out of their way as the couple exited the store. As soon as the store door was closed, Sojiro groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Who takes four hours to drink a single cup of joe?” The manager exhaled to himself. Finally turning and addressing him, his voice became more stern in nature. “So you must be Akira Kurusu.” The aforementioned teen gave a nod as Sojiro continued, placing a hand on his hip as he spoke.

“I’m Sojiro Sakura, and you’re going to be in my custody for this year.” Akira didn’t want to interrupt him and tell him he knew this already. “To be honest, I was expecting more of an unruly character, but it’s just you.”

“I can be rowdier than I look,” Akira japed, however it didn’t seem Sojiro found amusement in that. “Joking, of course.” He quickly added, trying not to already stir the pot. Maybe he shouldn’t… have made that joke.

“I know we haven’t met, but one of my customers knows your parents.” Ah. That’s why this man must’ve taken him in then. Or it was related to that fact anyways. “Well, not that that’s super important. Anyways, follow me.”

Sojiro turned and walked towards the other end of the shop, heading up the stairs in the back. Akira noticed the lights weren’t on and surprisingly this place was pretty cold. When the business owner hit the stop of the steps he must’ve flipped the light on. 

“This is your room.” Sojiro started as Akira observed the clutter. ‘ _This isn’t necessarily a room, it's an attic pretending to be a room._ ’ Akira found himself thinking, however he didn’t dare say it. There was dust quite literally everywhere. There was a box that he had sent to this address earlier in the week sitting in the middle of the room, as well as random assorted supplies. But there looked to be a bed in the corner, so at least there was that. “I at least have some sheets for your bed— you look like you wanna say something, what is it?”

“It’s cluttered,” Akira glanced around as Sojiro rubbed the back of his neck once again.

“It’s on you to clean up the rest.” ‘ _Fantastic, just what I was hoping to do. Go me._ ’ Akira mentally quipped once more.

“I’ll be leaving after I lock up each day. So you’ll be alone here at night. Don’t think about doing anything stupid, I’ll throw you out if you cause trouble.” Sojiro had no amusement nor hint of laughter in his voice. That was right, everyone here just thought he was some delinquent kid now. All that Sojiro knew about him was that he committed assault which was a complete lie. “Now then, I got the gist of your situation.”

‘ _Oh goodie, wonder what the officials told him._ ’ Akira awkwardly shifted his weight as he picked up his foot, tapping the toe of his shoe against the floor before readjusting.

“You protected a woman from a man who was forcing himself on her, and then he sued. Is that right?” Sojiro rubbed the side of his jaw, looking expectantly at him.

“That’s right, I’m surprised they even told you that, to be honest.” Akira shrugged, thinking maybe Sojiro understood.

“Well, that’s what you get for sticking your nose into a matter between two adults. It wasn’t your business. You did injure the guy, didn’t you? Therefore you have a criminal record and got expelled from high school.”

Akira bitterly stood there as his hopes fell through the floor. It wasn’t as if he’s heard this speech fifty thousand times already. Everyone around him had something to say about what he did. He didn’t even lay a finger on the guy! The student shuddered when he recalled the sound of the man's voice, then the police sirens that came. Once again he swallowed his memories and tuned in to whatever Sojiro was saying.

“After that, the courts ordered a transfer out here, to which your family approved. In other words, they got rid of the pain in the ass.” Akira wanted to say something, but he figured he shouldn’t. It was very obvious from the get-go that Sojiro had little tolerance for him. “It’s best if you don’t talk about anything unnecessary, I am in the restaurant business as you know. Behave yourself for a year, and then your probation will be lifted.”

“A whole year, huh?”Akira murmured more to himself than anything. A whole year in the city. Great. A whole year of being the true outsider at a school. However, Sojiro must’ve heard him and mistook it to be literal.

“You do know that your statement is till next spring, right?” Sojiro grew stern again, the annoyance becoming obvious. “If you cause any problems, you’ll be sent straight to juvie.” Akira got the point the first time someone explained to him what was going to happen. He was fully well versed in the fact that he’s a criminal now. “We’re going to Shujin tomorrow, so be ready.”

“Shujin is the high school I’m going to attend, right?” The student inquired, the name sounded familiar. He thought he heard it in the list of schools that the court said he could possibly attend.

“Correct, good to see you’re not completely ignorant to your circumstances. This is—” Sojiro started, but Akira truly grew exasperated. 

“The only school that would take me in. The courts assembled a list, and it wasn’t very long, but they said they’ll be in contact, though the schools might not want me.” The teenager finished, staring at the one potted and tall plant surrounded by assorted things. He wondered if it was fake, considering it seems this place is hardly used.

“Oho, looks like you do know what’s happening.” Was that a hint of a smile on Sojiro’s face? “Well, nonetheless, we’re going there tomorrow. It should just be introductions, and I’ll drive us there, but after tomorrow it’s up to you to get to school. Anyways, that box right there should be the rest of your luggage.” The cafe manager nodded in the direction of the box before he turned to exit the room. As soon as he could, Akira put his things down and got to work. There’s no way he’s sleeping in a dusty attic. Though he was fine with the attic, considering how spacious it was.

Akira picked up his lone box and set it to the side. He turned and observed the items around him, stopping when his eyes spotted the broom. The place seriously needed to be swept. The teenager did some basic cleaning: he swept the floors, dusted the surfaces, and moved some more things. Once he was satisfied, he stood in the center and observed his work. He honestly didn’t know why that made him so tired, considering he didn’t do that much, but he was glad he got some of it done. 

“Man— I heard a lot of ruckus up here, but I didn’t think you were cleaning,” Sojiro commented, startling the teenager slightly given the fact he hadn't heard the man come in. 

“I know how to use a broom,” Akira quipped, a smile stretching his lips. “Not hopeless.”

“I see that, you made pretty good work of the place.” Sojiro looked around, gaze wandering around the room. “I just came up here to remind you we leave early tomorrow, so you should probably go to bed soon. I’m gonna go downstairs and close up shop, so I’ll see you tomorrow. And you better be out of bed and ready to go.” Sojiro warned as he exited the room, voice carrying even as he descended the stairwell. 

“And miss my first day of school, of course not!” Akira called after him, and he would like to believe the distant noise he heard was a chuckle. But he couldn’t confirm it. When he heard all the lights flick off and the final chime of the door, Akira plopped onto his bed with a heavy sigh. He figured he was tired, from the cleaning and the travel time, however he figured he wouldn’t be this exhausted. Once again his thumb went to his wrist, staring at the words that remained there as he gently ran his thumb back and forth on it.

_What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?_

The words were supposed to symbolize the first words his soulmate would say to him. His father wouldn’t stop praising him when the words appeared, saying thanks to the words on his wrist he wouldn’t be lonely. Though he thinks the only reason his father did that was because his father didn’t have one. Not everyone did, but by no means was it rare to not have one or have one. There was a good mixture of both. His father called him lucky, but Akira disagreed with that. Just because someone had a soulmate marker, it didn’t mean they were bound to be a couple. From what Akira researched, it seemed it could mean any relationship. The only difference was that it was incredibly… strong, for a lack of better words. He had yet however to find his supposed soulmate. He heard that when you finally meet them, things just fall into place, honestly it was a bunch of mushy things that made a ten-year-old Akira want to throw up a bit when he read it. From then on, he stopped researching information on it.

As for the actual words, Akira has wondered what the words meant for some time now. Phantom Thieves? He’s always wondered if it was some book or movie that had yet to come out, due to the strange name. That was his best guess anyway. With an exhale, Akira picked up his phone. 10:47 PM. It’s not too late, but if he is getting up early for school then he should probably go to bed now.

So the student did so, he quickly changed into a set of pajamas. Stumbling downstairs to prepare for bed, then blindly trying to get back up the stairs since the lights downstairs were all off. Before he collapsed onto the bed, Akira took his glasses off and sent them aside with his phone. Shifting in bed, the teenager found himself being lulled to sleep, the thoughts in his head dying out as he finally fell asleep. The last thing he remembers before drifting off to a dream was thinking about his soulmate marker. What the fuck are the Phantom Thieves?

* * *

Akira swore to every entity on this planet that he set his alarm for AM. However, when he woke up to the sound of silence, he rolled over and grabbed his phone, almost forgetting where he was. Though when he squinted and finally made out the time, the student jumped up. 

“Shitshitshitshit—” the teenager let out a string of curses as he hastily grabbed all his things together. It was currently 7:21 AM and Sojiro mentioned being here by 7:30 AM. After his snarky comment last night, Akira had no intention of actually being late. Practically falling down the stairs, he swapped his clothes and freshened up in the bathroom downstairs. His hair looked absolutely dreadful, and to him, it was obvious that it was a bedhead, however he definitely knew he could pass as a functional human.

With a couple of minutes to spare, he rushed back upstairs to grab his supplies. A backpack with assorted things, he didn’t have time to completely empty it out, but from what he knew he wasn’t actually attending school today. He just had to deceive the people into thinking he was ready for it. He didn’t actually have to be yet. When Akira had reached the bottom, he heard the chime of the door opening and looked up.

“Oh you’re actually ready, I was thinking I would actually have to wake you up.” Akira didn’t know if he should’ve been offended at the idea that Sojiro actually thought he was still sleeping. He noticed the only thing that was really different about the manager’s outfit was that he had added a hat.

“Told you I wouldn’t miss my first day of school.”

“If you have time to be thinking of sarcastic comments then you have time to get in the car.”

“Yes, sir!” That one earned him a glare, however when Sojiro turned to exit once more, Akira snickered to himself. He thought it was at least funny, it lifts some of the tension surrounding this place. Or just… with him. 

* * *

For such a short meeting, it was so short, it almost wasn’t worth going. The traffic home was so bad, and the silence in the car was killing him. Akira glared holes into the car in front of them, silently begging for it to get moving.

“So you think you’ll be able to get to the school on your own?” Sojiro spoke over the quiet radio of the car, not like either of them were really listening to it to begin with.

“I should be fine on my own, either way, I’ll have to manage.” Akira shrugged, and that seemed to satisfy Sojiro.

“No one at school is going to sympathize with you. Watch what you do, as whatever you do reflects on me too.” Sojiro started and Akira had to refrain from groaning. This bullshit again. “Of course I got the troublesome kid, tch” Sojiro’s finger tapped against the steering wheel as they waited impatiently. 

Akira just silently took the insults. At this point he was used to it. However, if Sojiro really didn’t like this situation, then why? The new Shujin students turned his head towards the adult. “Why did you take me in?”

“I was just asked to do it, and I just happened to accept it. I was paid for it and all.” Sojiro responded, not sounding particularly interested. Not that Akira has heard him talk about anything he’s particularly interested in anyways. But of course it was about money, because when wasn’t it?

“Gotcha.” Akira nodded, before dropping the topic. Once again they returned to silence, only the soft hum of the radio interrupting the silence.

* * *

“Geez, damn traffic took up most of the day.” Sojiro soured when he saw the time, “what a waste of a day.” 

Akira followed Sojiro into the cafe, trailing behind him. Akira gave an apology which Sojiro brushed off. “Whatever, just go on and head up to your room. There’s something I gotta give you.” 

When they reached Akira’s attic room, the manager of the cafe pulled out a leather-bound notebook. Akira tilted his head, knowing that he wasn’t giving this to him to write school notes in.

“You’re going to write in this diary for every day you’re here and what you do. It’s already a pain in the ass that I report to your parole officers two times a month, so you’re going to make my life easier and write in this.” Sojiro dropped the journal onto the desk. “That said, while you’re here you’re free to do what you want as long as it’s within the law, got that?” Akira shook his head, more or not excited for this conversation to be over. Suddenly a chime went off on the adult’s phone, he turned his back to Akira as he answered it. The student tuned out the conversation, giving the cafe owner some space. When the cafe owner hung up, he turned back to Akira once again.

“Do me a favor and lock up for the night, then the rest of the night is yours. Don’t get too crazy though. You have school tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Akira responded, almost as if he’d been prepared for this. Seemingly satisfied, Sojiro left the store. Though he didn’t even get a chance to do anything before he heard a ringing. Checking his phone, and seeing that it wasn’t his. He traveled downstairs and picked up the phone.

“Hello?” He said hesitantly once he held the phone. Who still had this kind of phone anyways? It was so odd. Akira hadn’t seen one of these since he was a kid.

“It’s me.” The other end of the phone said. He was fully aware this was the cafe’s owner on the other end of the line.

“Me who? This phone is old, sorry, we don’t have caller ID,” Akira leaned away from the phone for a brief second to give an amused snort to his own joke.

“You’re on some pretty thin ice.” The voice warned, and yet the student couldn’t help the amusement that bubbled.

“My bad.” Sorry, not sorry. “Assuming you forgot something?”

“Yeah, do me a favor and flip the sign for me. I mean it’s not too big of a deal since no one is going to come at this time of night, but please flip it.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

“Akira.” The cafe owner sighed. “Whatever. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

When Akira hung up the phone, he started wondering why the man didn’t just text him. Like a normal person. But he supposed someone who had one of these old ass phones wasn’t exactly normal. Regardless, the student did what he was told and headed for the door. He opened it just enough where he could reach around and flip the sign. While he was there, he locked the door. With a yawn, the teenager extended his arms up in a stretch. He should probably get ready for bed. Akira flipped the lights off downstairs before heading back upstairs. He grabbed a change of clothes and supplies, groaning internally when he realized that he turned the lights off downstairs. Praying that he doesn’t eat shit on the stairs, he made his way down to the bathroom to freshen up. When he returned to his bedside, his phone was going nuts. 

Picking it up, Akira paled when he read the messages. He’s missed a call and about five messages from Yu. Shit.

**[Yu]:** Hey. 

**[Yu]:** You didn’t move countries.

**[Yu]:** Where are you? You said you’d text me when you got there safely.

**[Yu]:** It’s been a full day.

**[Yu]:** God dammit, I’m calling you.

Akira bit his bottom lip, immediately pacing as he called Yu back. He crossed his fingers that the other would pick up, he didn’t mean to ignore the other’s messages. He had completely forgotten, which sounds terrible, but he’s got so much shit going on that it just slipped his mind.

“Hey,” Yu answered when he picked up the call. He sounded tired. He hoped it wasn’t because Yu was waiting on him.

“Hey.” Akira immediately responded, as if he couldn’t say it fast enough.

“I didn’t know Shibuya was a whole twenty four hours away from Inaba.” The thing about Yu was that his voice hardly portrayed what he was thinking. Usually it was all in his eyes, but he could hear the strain in the other’s voice.

“I know, I know. I fucked up. I’m sorry,” Akira sat on his bed, falling backward into the mattress. “It just slipped my mind, between everything… you know.”

“I get it, don’t worry. I’m just giving you shit. I figured you’d be busy. You seen your school yet?” Akira hummed in response to the other’s question. “You gonna continue your aerobics?” He could hear the amusement in his voice, and could imagine his brother’s face.

“You are such an asshole. You know it’s acrobatics. And no, to answer your original question.”

“Wait, for real? Akira you practically snorted acrobatics.” Yu’s voice shifted once again. It was interesting calling him like this, this was the widest range of emotion he got out of the other’s voice

“Even if I wanted to, I honestly don’t think I could. I mean let’s be honest, I have an assault charge and the school hates me already. They’re not going to let me on a team. Besides, even if I joined their team, I would be helping them, and I have no intention of doing that.” Akira shrugged, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling. There was silence on both sides of the call, well, Akira thought he could hear the droll humming of a fan in Yu’s call. 

“I suppose you’re right.”

“No, I am right.”

“Okay, don’t go getting cocky now. You’re the one still on probation.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Akira groaned, this subject made his blood start to boil.

“I didn’t say you did anything wrong.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

“I’m saying you got caught. If you just weren’t caught, you wouldn’t be in this situation.” Akira hesitated, why did that resonate with him in a weird way? “Akira?”

“Hey, sorry, I would love to talk more, but I actually gotta get to sleep.”

“What have you done with Akira?” Yu immediately asked.

“Haha, funny. Anyways, seriously, I gotta go. School and all that bullshit.” Akira’s voice dropped to annoyance as he thought about tomorrow.

“Sure thing. Talk to me when you can. Later.”

“Bye.” Akira took the phone away from his ear and hung up. He got up from his seat, researching what railways he needs for tomorrow’s and leaving that for the morning. He then set his glasses and phone to the side. He shuffled to the lights and turned them off, collapsing into bed, blankly staring into the darkness of the attic.

‘ _If I don’t get caught, huh?’_

* * *

As soon as his alarm went off in the morning, Akira rolled over and aggressively smacked his phone a couple of times to shut it up. Groggily he sat up, blindly reaching for his glasses and putting them on. ‘ _Just make it through today, that’s all you gotta do. And… and then it’s only 363 more days_ ’ the thought made Akira want to fall back into bed and never come out. He wanted to just curl up and shut the rest of the city out until he could go home. With his head hung, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, the student sat there for a while as he tried to gather the energy to actually get out of bed.

He stood up and changed into his clothes and finished his morning routine, freshening up, getting his things sorted, all the like. He yawns as he makes his way downstairs. If he wants to make it to school, then he needs to get a move on. However when he got to the cafe, he saw a stray plate of curry on the counter. Akira blinked as the place was soulless beside Sojiro. He figured the plate wasn’t for him and just kept moving, however the cafe owner was quick to call after him.

“Hey! You really gonna leave without eating breakfast?” The adult called after him, and the student paused and turned around. Sojiro then gestured to the plate on the counter. “At least eat before you go, the trains here are on five minute intervals, you’ll be fine.”

Akira cautiously, as if the floor would fall out from under him, walked towards the plate. This almost felt like a trick, but he didn’t know why. He placed the bag on the barstool next to his, picking up a forkful and trying it. However once he tried it, the student scarfed down the rest of it. He didn’t even feel that hungry a little bit ago, but here he was trying to eat it as fast as possible. 

“Damn kid— it looks like you haven’t eaten in ages judging by how you're eating now.” Sojiro actually let out a small huff of amusement, before he fell stern once again. “Don’t make a mess on the bar, what are you, a five year old? Jesus.” 

Akira ate slower, making sure any rice grains stayed on the plate. When he finished he made sure his area was clean and then walked over to the sink and rinsed his dish at the very least, running water over the remnants of red sauce. “Hey, thanks for the food.”

“Don’t mention it, now get out of here before you really are late.”

“I’m going— sheesh, give me a minute.” Akira amusedly smiled as he grabbed his bag in one fluid motion and headed towards the door. With the chime of the bell, he was off to Shujin. Pulling out his phone Akira reviewed the directions. When he arrived at the station he suddenly remembered why he hated it down here, especially during times where transportation was most heavily used. Like right now. When all the students were going to school. He took the train from Yungen-Jaya to Shibuya, and with one last glance at his phone, he confirmed the line he needed to transfer to.

Looking at the signs, he squinted to try and make out the letters. If he can, he should probably make an appointment with someone and try and get new ones, considering it’s been a few years. ‘ _Ginza, Ginza, Ginza_ ’ he repeated it like a mantra in his head. When he followed the rest of the signs and the yellow line on the floor. He hustled on the train, clutching his bag as the swamp of people mushed on like sardines.

When the train approached his stop, he got off, trying not to bump shoulders with anyone. However when he exited the station, he quietly cursed under his breath. Of course, Of fucking course it was raining. The one day he doesn’t bring an umbrella. Sighing, Akira made his way over to the front of the store where he dried his phone, watching as the rain started to dump. Though when a hooded stranger came to seek shelter as well, he watched with curious eyes. The stranger removed their hood, revealing a very light blonde haired girl. He had to admit, she was pretty, although her face seemed sad. Weighted. Her eyes seemed tired and her lips were almost tugged down into a frown. However, he must’ve been staring because when she turned to him, she immediately fixed that. She plastered a wide smile that he knew was fake as she gave him a small wave. Before they could exchange words, a car pulled up not too far from them and the window rolled down. Within it, a voice called out to the girl that stood next to him.

“Hey! Do you want a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.” The man said, leaning away from the wheel. The girl nodded in agreement and walked towards the car, though Akira just squinted. Then the man turned his gaze from the stranger to him. “Do you need one too?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks though.” Akira shook his head and waved. He watched the car drive off as soon as the girl got into the vehicle. Akira couldn’t shake the feeling that he should’ve done something, the girl had such sorrowful eyes. But what should he have done? 

Rapid footsteps seemed to be approaching from the right, the water on the ground splashing around as shoes hit the cement. The student was about to dismiss it as other students ran to get out of the rain, but they eventually slowed to a stop. 

“Dammit,” the new stranger said, cursing under his breath. “Fuck that pervy teacher.”

“Pervy teacher?” Akira question, and when he did the other teen turned around. His eyebrows rose in question.

“What do you want? Are you another one of the snitches who is gonna rat me out to Kamoshida?” Immediately the stranger went on the defensive and walked closer to Akira. The black-haired student could only blink. ‘ _Kamoshida? Who the hell is that?_ ’ 

“Who’s Kamoshida?” As soon as Akira asked, the stranger’s face fell and the signs of aggression disappeared.

“That car. The man in that car just now was Kamoshida.” The stranger explained as he stuck his hands into his pockets. “He does whatever he wants, when he wants. Thinks he’s some grand king of a castle.”

“Sounds more like a dictator to me.” Akira shrugged, despite knowing minimal information about the person in question. But from the sounds of it, a part of Akira already twisted with disgust. Now he really felt bad for letting that girl get in the car, maybe he could’ve just asked her to show him the way, and she wouldn't have gotten in. The stranger seemed to have gotten a kick out of that.

“Yeah! A tyrant— wait hold up a minute. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Who are you? I mean, if you’re from Shujin you have to know who Kamoshida is.” The other teen crossed his arms and leaned back as he observed Akira.

“I just transferred here actually. A second year.” He offered, and the stranger seemed to be content with that answer.

“Well.” The stranger turned his attention from Akira back to the street. “The rain is lightening up, we should hurry to school before it pours again. Or before we’re late. Here follow me.” The stranger took off, not quite a run but he wasn’t exactly walking either. Akira gave a slight gasp as he shoved his phone in his pocket to try and keep up with the other guy. Though he had to admit, this was the strangest way to get to the school. Going behind buildings and through the alleyways, not his first choice. But he had no right to complain, as the stranger managed to get them there. As they both approached the entrance, the stranger turned to him.

“Hey, I never got your name.”

“I’m Akira Kurusu, pleasure. Thanks for getting me here, I guess.” Akira offered the other a slight smile, though it fell when he looked back outside to see it pouring again. He hoped this would clear up before he had to walk home.

“Ryuji Sakamoto.” Akira could almost laugh at how informal this guy was. Not that he minded it, it was almost like a fresh breath of air. 

Akira opened his mouth but there was a sudden clearing of someone’s throat that cut through his words, there was a man standing not too far from them his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t miss the way Sakamoto. immediately scowled, all of his affable and joking manners vanished.

“You’re late.” The man said, a stern look on his face. As the black-haired student gained a better look, he realized this was the same man from the car. Was this Kamoshida then? It had to be. “Get to class before I decide to turn you both in.”

“We—” Sakamoto started, stepping forward however Kamoshida simply turned. 

“Go,” Kamoshida demanded, this time there was more weight in his voice. ‘ _God this guy really is a tyrant,_ ’ Akira thought as the other student tugged him along. The blonde-haired teen huffed and practically glared daggers into the man’s back as he entered an office nearby. It must’ve been his. 

“Second year classrooms are on the second floor. And hey—” before the two could part their ways, Sakamoto grabbed his wrist. “Do me a favor, during break do you mind meeting me outside, the place by the vending machines.”

“That sounds ominous,” Akira huffed in amusement. That seemed to break Sakamoto’s serious streak as the other gave him a light shove.

“Dude I’m serious, come on. Don’t make it sound weird.” The black-haired student held his hands up in defeat.

“Okay, okay. Outside. By the vending machines. Which doesn’t sound weird at all.” Sakamoto pinched the bridge of his nose, but Akira could see that he too was stifling laughter.

* * *

“ _Who_ got into his car?!” Sakamoto practically hollered, spooking a group of students that were passing by. However, Akira didn’t know if that was because this was a delinquent hideout or because of the blonde’s insistent volume. 

“Hey, this is supposed to be a quiet meeting,” Akira sighed. God knows what would happen if the faculty walked by while he was shit-talking the staff. He was on some pretty thin fucking ice as is, given that it’s quite literally just the first day of school for him. “You keep talking at that volume the whole damn world will hear, even Kamoshida no matter how far his head is up his ass.”

“You’re right. Sorry, I just, I get carried away…” Sakamoto practically crushed the juice box in his hand. “It’s just, the damn bastard ruins everything.” Akira could hear the venom oozing from his voice, lacing every single word with a deadly poison. “But I need to know. Who did you see get into that car.”

“I don’t know her name, I saw her in class though. She sits in front of me, and she doesn’t look Japanese, not full anyways. Very light blonde hair? Had a coat? It’s got a clover on the hood.” Akira chewed the inside of his cheek, he knows the homeroom teacher called out the names but for whatever reason, he couldn’t remember what her name was. Though apparently that was enough information for Sakamoto, as he crushed the juice box in his hand completely, throwing it at the wall.

“Dammit!” 

“Hey— dude, volume!” Akira’s brows furrowed, then with a deep breath he continued on with his story. They had been talking about Kamoshida, well mainly Sakamoto, all break. Then Akira admitted what he saw, and how he felt guilty for not helping her. “Someone has to stop him.” Akira brought a fist to his mouth, pressing the knuckles to his lips as he thought.

“I’ve tried,” Sakamoto grumbled, angrily shaking his head. “This is dumb, how people like him can just step on people.”

“Well— if we tell the faculty—”

“That’s the disgusting part, the faculty knows. They know, Kurusu. Nothing has been done about it. Even the parents know, seeing their kids come home with their life beat out of them… god! We’re just kids, how the fuck are we supposed to deal with this?! What match are we against someone who has a reputation as an Olympian athlete?!” Sakamoto paced, gesturing with his hands as he turned back and both, Akira eventually got dizzy watching him so he remained in thought, staring at the ground as if the dirt had his answer.

The whole situation made his stomach churn with disgust and guilt, but a thought echoed in his head: _‘What_ can _we do?’_

“Ah shit.” Sakamoto suddenly stopped pacing, “break is over, back to class. Is there any way I can meet you after class?” The black-haired student dwelled on the question, there was no reason he couldn’t. 

“Yeah, sure.”

“Do you mind meeting me—”

“Don’t fucking say the vending machines.” Akira interrupted the other, pointing at him before the blonde could say it.

“It’s only weird cause you’re making it weird!”

“No, Sakamoto. It’s just weird.”

“Fine. The front. Then meet me at the front.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Doesn’t this place have a roof?” Akira wondered, and he could practically see the blonde’s face light up like the streets of Tokyo at night. Looks like they found themselves a hiding spot.

* * *

When he had exited the classroom, he wanted to throw up. His eyes caught sight of the poor girl and the nasty teacher speaking at the end of the hall. She seemed so uncomfortable, refusing to meet his eye and always keeping her head trained downward. Akira kept his distance, and over the other students he couldn’t quite make out every word they were saying.

The girl had said something about being super busy, and how she wouldn’t be able to do anything because she has some photoshoot. However, when Akira came up as a topic it took all his will power not to get closer to eavesdrop. Well, he was already doing that, but any closer and it would be obvious. It appears the blonde-haired girl excused herself, and as soon as he did the teacher gave a sour face and then turned towards Akira.

“What does a punk like you want?”

“Nothing, I was just on my way home. Now if you don’t mind,” Akira slipped past the teacher, keeping his eyes constantly trained on him, worried that the slightest movement could provoke him. Navigating himself through the school, Akira finally found the stairwell that led to the roof. 

“I was starting to think you’d never show.” Sakamoto jested as he leaned back in a chair by a congregation of tables. Akira made his way over, sitting on one of said tables. 

“Sorry, I did a little eavesdropping—” 

“You sly bastard!”

“Kamoshido was talking to that girl again.” That immediately soured Sakamoto’s mood. His nose scrunched up and his brows furrowed. 

“Ann doesn’t deserve any of this shit,” Sakamoto gritted his teeth, jaw tight. Ann. That was the girl’s name. Ann. There was a brief moment of silence, as Akira felt it wrong to say something. Eventually he caved, asking a question that’s been on his mind for a while now.

“What personal stake do you have in this, if you don’t mind me asking?” Akira glanced at Sakamoto as the blonde-haired teen led them to wherever it was they were going to eat. He seemed to sour a bit when Akira asked. “You don’t have to tell me right this moment—”

“Nah, it’s all good man. It’s just a long story.” He shrugged. “Truth be told I almost don’t know where to start.”

“I mean, I definitely got the time to spare.” Akira reasoned, he had no particular obligations, and he was pretty sure Sojiro didn’t care what he did as long as he wasn’t breaking any laws.

“Buckle up then.” The blonde laughed, however his emotions didn’t seem to back it up.

As they walked, Akira listened to the other talk, about the track team and Kamoshida has destroyed most sports in this school. All in an effort to make the volleyball team look better. When the other student spoke about how Kamoshida spoke of Sakamoto’s parents as if it was his devoir to do so.

“I have to get him back. I will, I swear—” he stopped when the door to the roof suddenly opened. Another teenager whose eyes were trained downward came onto the roof. Akira glanced at the blonde-haired student, then back to the stranger. He thought he saw this guy before, and the lightbulb went off when he realized this guy was also in his class. He doesn’t think he’s heard the guy talk though.

But he looked worse for wear. A bandage covered his jaw, a busted lip, as well as a bruise on the other cheek. He seemed exhausted, and his devoid eyes seemed to further that. Not to mention the tears that were prickling in them and threatening to fall. With one last glance to Sakamoto, the other student immediately stood up.

“Mishima?” Sakamoto investigated, however as soon as the newcomer heard his voice he stood and panicked. “Hey, woah, calm down. It’s just us.”

“What… what’re you guys doing up here?! The roof is off-limits you know.” Mishima immediately started to defend himself, and his eyes looked for an escape. 

“We could ask the same to you.” Akira stepped forward, but still supplied the other student space. If he got any closer, he feared the frantic student might bolt. He— Mishima— fell silent and his eyes trained downwards.

“No one… is usually on the roof.” Mishima mumbled, and Akira almost had missed it. He noted that Mishima wasn’t wearing a school uniform and he was changed into something else. It looked like an athletic uniform.

“Why’re you up here? Fresh air?” 

“You could say… something like that.” Mishima’s voice was quiet as he withdrew into himself. One of his hands gripped his other arm as if it was in pain. It seems Sakamoto caught on to the same thought Akira had, as he leaned forward. 

“How did you get those bruises? Did Kamoshida do this?” As soon the blonde asked, Mishima’s eyes widened and his mouth fell agape. However, he tried to cover the reaction instantly.

“No! It’s just from being careless at practice! Why would you say anything like that?!” Mishima’s voice raised as he furiously denied the question, and just like that, he turned to leave, briskly walking to the door and hastily vanishing within the school. When he was gone, Sakamoto went to stand by Akira. 

“You don’t believe him either, right?”

“Not at all.” Akira shook his head.

“From the looks of it… I don’t think the track team was the only sports team that’s been abused. I heard some rumors, and I didn’t doubt it considering what he did to the track kids. But… all of this is revolting.” Sakamoto ran a hand through his hair. “Judging by Mishima’s reaction however, it looks like we won’t be getting any information out of him.”

Akira shook his head, “I don’t want to drag him into this.”

“Wait! The school is having some volleyball tournaments in a few days— maybe we can find some evidence there?” Sakamoto suggested, and the black-haired student had to admit, it was a sound plan in theory. 

* * *

When the two parted their ways, Akira wasted no time getting to Leblanc Cafe. He was exhausted. First of all, the faculty at his school absolutely hates him and will do anything to see him fail. Second, it turns out some teacher is actually a perverted son of a bitch, and the whole school potentially could be on a ploy to cover it up. Third, it all happened within the span of one day at school. 

Akira held a brief conversation with Sojiro before the store owner closed up and left him to his own devices. He mainly found himself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling in thought. There was no refuting that Mishima knew something, and no matter how reckless someone could be in practice, those bruises wouldn’t come from just practice alone. 

He hated the fact he had to wait a few days to get anything conclusive.

What could he do? He refused to just sit around and let it happen. Though last time he got involved with this, he ended up getting probation and that’s why he’s here. Sojiro’s words echoed in his head. “Well, that’s what you get for sticking your nose into a matter between two adults. It wasn’t your business. You did injure the guy, didn’t you? Therefore you have a criminal record and got expelled from high school.” It made Akira’s skin burn, that couldn’t be right! It wasn’t right! The student just stared out the window. He found himself wondering what Yu would do if he faced this challenge. Yu seemed to have answers for a lot of things. 

He spent the night wondering how many more people were going to be afflicted for something to change.

* * *

The next day progressed much of the same that the previous day did. Sakamoto managed to find him before vice versa. However, when Akira met with Sakamoto at the end of school, the two were stopped by a very wary Kamoshida.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kamoshia’s eyes narrowed as he approached the two students in the hall. 

“Uh? Going home? Like everyone else?” Akira shrugged, turning to Sakamoto for a brief second before addressing the problematic teacher. Kamoshida just stepped closer, but the student remained where he stood.

“If I were you, I’d be careful.” He warned.

“Yeah. You should be too.” Akira said without missing a beat, satisfied with his answer, he motioned for Sakamoto to follow him. “Wouldn’t want to tarnish your medal after all.”

“Don’t forget who has the authority here.” Kamoshida turned to watch as the students walked off. Though Akira didn’t satisfy him with stopping, he just kept on going. 

‘ _We’ll see how long that lasts for.'_

* * *

“So you’re in, right?” Sakamoto suddenly inquired, turning to Akira.

“In on what?”

“That something has to be done? That we have to try. I mean I kind of assumed after that whole scene.” The transfer student didn’t need any more explanation to get what Sakamoto was getting at. He wanted to see Kamoshida punished for what he’s done.

“Duh. Besides, yesterday’s incident was enough to give me hope that there is a possibility to do something.”

“Oooh? Does someone already have a master plan—” as soon as he said that, Sakamoto laughed nervously. “I’d love to chat more about this, but can we get some food, my stomach is seriously killing me.” Akira shook his head in amusement but nonetheless agreed.

* * *

“So, did you have any ideas about what we’re gonna do?” Sakamoto asked between mouthfuls of noodles. The scene almost made Akira choke on his own food. 

“Vaguely. We’re just… gathering information right now. You said that volleyball tournament is in a couple of days right? As much as I hate to admit it, out of everything you said he’s done, the volleyball team is the strongest point. Other than Ann.” Akira pushed his bowl aside. “I mean… all we can do right now is wait and see what we can dig up. If we want something that the courts can…” The student let his voice trail off as a few people within earshot walked by. He knew a ramen shop was a bad choice for this. “Can’t refute, it’s gonna be that team. We need undeniable evidence.”

“So we’re gonna like… what? Leak information?”

“No. I don’t want to drag other people that have been affected by him into this. That’s too much pressure on them, I mean you saw how Mishima reacted.” The black-haired student rested his head in his hands. Once again he was left to his thoughts, the only thing that’s occupied his mind has been messy plans. “Our plan is to help save those people, not to stick them in the spotlight.”

“Then what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Truth be told? I don’t know, so many things. But… ugh goddammit,” Akira swore under his breath as another group of people passed them. He silently prayed they wouldn’t sit by them, and when the group took a seat elsewhere, he continued. “But I know we have to do this ourselves. The only way… would be to make him admit to his own crimes.”

Sakamoto choked on his food, sputtering and coughing and the transfer student was almost concerned. Leaning away from him until the blonde stabilized himself. “You’re kidding, right? You have to be.” 

“I wish I was. But it’s the only option we have. We can’t take it to the board. The police aren’t doing anything.” Akira stared at his ramen bowl. He suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. “We have to make… you know who… admit to what he’s done.” Sakamoto put his bowl down and remained silent. 

“…How do we do that? We’re just two kids. Who’s going to listen?”

“Let’s not dwell on that part. We have to take baby steps and we have to be careful. I can’t get expelled from this school. If the faculty thinks I’m up to some shady shit, then they’ll give me the boot for sure.” The black-haired teen didn’t miss the way Sakamoto flinched.

“Right,” all of his energy seemed to just dissipate into nothingness. His voice is the quietest he’s heard.

“But we’re doing this. First we just… we have to gather intel. A strong lead. Anything.” Akira looked around as the shop started to become more packed. “Look man, as much as I want to do this. We can’t keep talking here.” It seemed Sakamoto realized the crowding too because he stood up and the two got ready to leave. 

“How about we exchange phone numbers? And we’ll talk tonight, that’s easier, right?” Sakamoto suggested before they parted ways. As soon as he had said it Akira just pulled his phone out and the blonde typed the information in. “There. We should be golden.”

“Perfect. Text me if you figure anything out.”

“Will do, man! Later!” Sakamoto gave him a wave then set off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Akira made sure his shoes weren’t tracking any grime before he stepped into the cafe, and when he opened the door Sojiro was working on another crossword.

“How many boxes, and what’s the description?” Akira tried, a smile tugging at his lips. However he deflated when there was not much of a reaction. Damn. One of these days it will work.

“I take it you actually went to school. I mean I didn’t get any calls so it seems you must’ve gone.” the cafe owner stood up and set the magazine aside. 

Akira awkwardly shifted his weight, he really had no reply for that so he settled for a nod. He glanced around the area, it looked like Sojiro hasn’t closed yet. Before Akira could ask anything, the owner got a call and once again he turned his back to the student. He got the cue. He quickly ran upstairs and put his stuff down, waiting a minute or so before going back down. “If you have somewhere to be, I can take care of stuff here.” He offered, maybe if he did this Sojiro would be less… prickly.

The cafe owner seemed hesitant, almost as if he suspected Akira had an ulterior motive. They both were cautious around each other, so Akira couldn’t blame him. Yet he seemed to give in, “If you’re willing to help then be my guest. The dishes and the tables that need to be cleaned off, everything else is good to go. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Akira observed the things that needed to be done. Wipe down the tables, wash any remaining dishes, flip the sign, and the list goes on.

“Don’t even think about taking anything.” Sojiro snipped as he grabbed his jacket and headed to the front door.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Akira’s response came automatically, and when the bell chimed he walked over to the door and flipped the sign before returning inside and locking it. He turned back to the now-empty cafe. Now just to… actually hold up on his offer.

* * *

“Are you… washing a pot of coffee?” Yu asked as Akira rinsed the utensil off. 

“Yeah. Bossman—” Akira started but he was quickly cut off. 

“Bossman? Akira, you and your names sometimes.” 

“I mean that’s what he is.” Akira shrugged, He frowned as he dried the coffee pot, setting it to the side to continue with the rest of the dishes before continuing back to his story. “Back to what I was saying before I was _rudely interrupted_ , he had to go so I offered to close up for him.”

“How kind. What’s your return?” Yu knew there was a fee. There had to be a fee. There was never not a fee.

“This was a no strings attached offer,” Akira had a sly smile on his face. “Probation has changed me, I’m a new man.”

“Wow. You must truly hate the city then.” Yu chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. 

“Oh, I hate it! I don’t think you understand how crowded the trains are here! Not to mention that even in the school I got lost! Did you know that I also have to take at least two different lines to get to school? Truly dreadful.” Akira complained, scrunching his nose at a plate as if it had done him an injustice. Though at least after this the dishes would be done.

“Bet you miss being able to walk everywhere.” Yu teased, but despite that, it was true. Though even if he went back home, a part of him told him it would be worse. Since everyone knew that Akira assaulted someone, the town would never let him live it down. Plus it keeps him off Yu’s responsibility list for a while, cause no doubt his mother and father just tried to dump him somewhere else. “Ah shit.” Yu cursed and Akira heard through the call that the phone buzzed.

“What’s up?”

“Work. Something came up.”

“This late?”

“Yeah, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yup, see ya.” Akira waved as the call hung up. He wondered what even came up, he made a mental note to ask about it later. It really could be anything, given that Yu was a forensics investigator. With the call gone, the only sound that welcomed Akira was the quiet hum of the cafe. It bothered him when he first got here, however he’s forgiven it and at times it can chase away his thoughts. The black-haired student gave the tables a wipe down, and then doubled checked everything. He truly didn’t need Sojiro on his case about anything, not right now anyway. 

With that, Akira was left to his own devices and with how tired he still felt he opted for the idea of sleep. By the time he got into bed, he passed out. 

* * *

Akira awoke to rapid buzzing from his phone, and at first he thought it was the alarm. However, when he grabbed it to check, the device displayed the time: 2:57 AM. His eyes then dropped to the text messages incoming on his phone. Goddammit, what the fuck would Sakamoto want at 2:57 AM? Before he even had a chance to type something out, a call came in and stupidly, the sleep-deprived student answered it.

“You have a minute before I hang up and go back to bed.” Akira snipped as he fell asleep slipping away from him. If he couldn’t go back to bed after this, he was definitely going to have some words.

“Oops, I guess I didn’t think about the possibility of you being asleep. My bad, man.” Sakamoto apologized, and honestly, the transfer felt like he should just hang up and go back to bed. 

“Sakamoto.”

“Right! I have some major dirt about Kamoshida.” Akira’s eyes widened and he sat straight up.

“Well, why didn’t you just start with that?”


	2. I didn’t take you for photos of the sunset type guy

Goro Akechi didn’t like to appear on TV, not really anyways. It was all rehearsed answers to the same questions asked over and over by different people. The same fake smile he would plaster and a laugh he used just for the public. No one truly saw him for what he wanted to be, not through the screen anyways. He would much rather be in his office, nose buried in case files. Sure, the cases he was assigned weren’t big schemes by any means, but they were _something_. Whatever cases he could get, it was adding to his reputation that he had worked his ass off for. Somewhere along the way, the media had gotten mixed up in that too.

He currently had a live interview, and it’s not that he was nervous. He’s long since been used to being seen on TV. It was the fact that he had to plaster on more of a fake personality when he was on screen. The hostess of the show extended her arm, it was the detective’s cue to enter the shot. He crossed the set and took a seat in the luxurious-looking chair.

“And today we welcome the Detective Prince Goro Akechi! Akechi, we thank you for coming out today.” He always found it funny how extra the sets were, yet everything behind the camera was bleak and filled with eyes of vultures. They studied his every move, recorded his every word, if he messed up there was no covering.

Goro sat straight up, legs crossed as he offered a commercial smile to the host. “It was no problem, I love being here, so thank you for inviting me.”

“As kind as ever, Akechi. So what have you been working on recently, as the Detective Prince?” She leaned forward with her fake smile, faking her interest for the sake of views. 

“Recently I’ve been working with some minor cases, nothing too exciting as the public puts it,” Goro explained, straightening up a bit. Despite their luxurious looks, these chairs actually weren’t that comfortable. Though Goro shut down the urge to shift around on the chair.

“I highly doubt anything can be boring with you. So!” She continued on, “what does your everyday look like? We know you lead a very busy life.”

“Well, due to my circumstances, I unfortunately have to miss school quite often. But my most frequent routine is I usually have school in the mornings, and afterward, I head over to the precinct to work on any cases, which takes up most of my day.”

“Wow!” She turned towards the camera, a look of shock on her face before she turned back to him. Truly, he wondered how spurious this woman could get. “How do you find the time to work on your schoolwork? After all, you are a third year. With how busy you are, are you at all worried about your entrance exams?”

“While my schedule is very taut, I do have times blocked out for my obligations. By no means can I skip my schoolwork, even if I am a detective.” Goro gave a small superficial laugh. “As for my entrance exams, I know I’ve prepared well so no,” he shook his head as he spoke, “I’m not worried.”

“Such confidence!” The woman exclaimed, this time leaning away from him in shock. When she regained herself, she continued asking some laid back questions, the ones he more or less was expecting when he came into this interview. However, the next one she asked he didn’t particularly expect. He thought he'd shut down this question enough times to definitely let everyone know.

“Well, let us get straight to the point!” The host’s cheery voice would almost make him flinch if he wasn’t used to this about by now. “We, like all your fans, have just got to know; do you have a soulmate?” She asked, practically leaning out of her chair. Her eyes could’ve fooled anyone, curious and cloy. However, he knew better, she was just waiting for him to mess up. The slightest inconsistency so she could exploit it, make him fracture on screen as she tried to rob him of every secret he had.

He would never let that happen. 

“Oh!” Goro hummed, a smile gracing his face. He shook his head, just like all the other times he’s been asked this. “I do not, I’m sorry to disappoint you all. I wasn’t born with a marker.” It was a practiced lie of course. He did, but he never told the public that. In fact, he planned on never revealing it to them.

“What a shame,” the woman offered him a saddened look. Her voice, however, didn’t seem to share the same sentiment, her tone not matching the words. “Well, now that that’s out of the way. Why don’t you tell us about what it’s like being a detective? Especially for your age! How do you balance school and your work?”

“It is a lot of work, but I enjoy what I do, so it never really feels like work.” Goro felt himself loosen up, moving away from the soulmate category. He hated the interviews that just tried to vacuum up all his secrets. Reporters were always like vipers, waiting for the perfect moment. “I try and keep routines for myself, however with sudden things that come up I can’t always abide by a daily itinerary.” 

She seemed satiated with his answer, moving onto her no doubt pre-picked question. Her questions were mostly questions he gets all the time, nothing too strange or prying thankfully. Though it was a pain to continuously answer questions like these. It’s these scenarios that make Goro want to put a FAQ form on his blog. He knew people wouldn’t read it though, and it would just be a waste of his time. The rest of the interview passed by with a breeze, and he was rather thankful for it.

“It seems that’s all the time we have today. Again, thank you for coming on for today’s show!” She cheered, extending a hand out to which he shook. 

“Thanks for allowing me the opportunity,” he gave the reporter a nod of acknowledgment as he exited the set. He could hear her prattling off again even when he was a safe distance away. 

Returning to his belongings, Goro picked up his briefcase and fetched his phone from within it. He turned the screen on just to see who had messaged him. ‘No messages it seems, however, there are a few emails I should probably read tonight when I have the chance.’ He closed some notifications, preferring for the home screen to be organized rather than cluttered with notifications. However, he left the email note there, as a reminder for later. 

“Sae, I was wondering when you would get here.” Goro addressed the other detective, offering her a smile to placate her annoyed face. “Are you ready to visit the next case?”

“Yeah, I just didn’t know I was your personal chauffeur,” She narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms. “I mean this is ridiculous, I mean the department pretty much demanded I pick you up.” She sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose exasperation. “You’re not some child to be baby sa— oh whatever, the damage is done. Let's get out of here.”

* * *

Since he was still a high school student, he wasn’t technically allowed to act on his own. Case wise anyways. Under Sae’s supervision, he worked on cases, and today was one such case where they worked together. At this point, they were practically partners now considering how much he could actually do. He never dreamed that he would have gotten this much work when he was applying. They both sat in complete silence in Sae’s car. It was actually nice to not have to take the train, especially after he just aired on TV. He would wager that’s why the department had Sae pick him up, otherwise they both would’ve most likely walked.

“What’s on the agenda?” Goro asked as he turned to look at Sae. “I only got a brief descriptor of the case, my apologies, I had to go to my interview before the briefing was over.”

“From here it’s to the crime scene, they already had a forensic investigator head out there, but we still need to interview witnesses and the like.” Sae started, her face holding a blank expression as she drove. However, as the car in front of them slowed her gaze turned into a murderous glare. “It doesn’t make sense, the man who did the robbery. From the looks of it, he had no criminal record, seemingly no bad relations. It’s like he just…” her voice trailed off.

Goro found himself making a mental note about everything the older detective said. He would write, however in the car it most likely would’ve looked horrendous or it would’ve made him dizzy. From the information he knew, it truly was an interesting case. Then again, almost any case was more peculiar than the petty cases he took on. Though every detective started somewhere, and for a detective that was still in high school, Goro was damn proud of the progress he had already made. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time someone has been caught like that. Anything that might support the idea he had a motivation change?”

“No. This one is different… you’ll see when we get to the case. It’s just a couple minutes out.” Sae sighed, and Goro could hear a different emotion in her voice but he couldn’t place it. What could be so bizarre about this case anyway?

* * *

When Sae said this case was more complicated than it seemed, she was correct. Even after investigating the scene, the whole thing had his brain whirring as he tried to come up with a concrete explanation of everything that happened. Even the eyewitnesses they had gathered didn’t help much. Goro sighed, leaning back in his chair as if a posture change would help him see a different perspective of the case. There currently were so many possibilities that could’ve happened. The odd part that stumped him, was even though the man was identified, he wasn’t behind bars yet. The robber turned out to be an employee of the company, which allowed him to use his status and get inside and bypass any security measures. Though he didn’t take money or anything that had a high sell price. He took seemingly nothing but company records and files. Then he was gone. It was like he just vanished, the last place they can pin him was in Shinjuku, which was a while away from Shibuya. Not ridiculous, but enough to wonder his means of transport. The police haven’t been able to find a single trace of where the man went.

Goro scavenged through the details, there were too many things that just didn’t add up. Sure, he’s seen things about employee dishonesty and theft, but this? He felt like he knew too little, despite the hours he spent at the actual crime scene itself. There was nothing left behind in the luxurious building that pointed to a motive, no trace of where he could’ve gone. The call records didn’t show anything odd either. The detective slowed himself down and looked over his notes, eyes taking in every word in case he missed something crucial. Slowly he organized what he knew, what he needed to know.

‘ _Maybe I should consult with Sae_ ,’ Goro absentmindedly chewed the inside of his cheek as his eyes scrupulously inspected what he had written. ‘ _T_ _he last place the man was tracked was down in…_ ’ Goro noted the location, setting the paper aside to shuffled through his notes. There was the surveillance cam which said at what time he left the building, and according to eyewitnesses, the man was last seen around three in the evening. The detective kept glancing through his papers until he found that one where it recorded the eye witness. He quickly grabbed the other piece of paper and headed off to his best guess where Sae was.

Well, it was actually more of where he knew she would be. Sae was predictable, and she kept most of her life as constant as possible, Goro learned that very quickly. She always sat in the same area, always having some sort of light with her, a laptop which always had some document she was working on, and no doubt her third cup of coffee sitting next to it. Goro rounded the corner, but when he noticed the group of people waiting he turned back around to go find the stairs. He almost tripped as he tried to run down the stairs as fast as possible, he was just glad no one was around to see it.

Just when he was getting excited, prepared to say everything on his mind, his face fell when Sae wasn’t where she normally sat. He looked over the room, however, he saw no sign of the other detective. It was then his phone went off. 

**[Sae]:** Hey. Where did you go? You are aware you left all of your stuff unattended, right?

**[Sae]:** That’s rather reckless of you. You take that briefcase everywhere with you usually.

**[You]:** Believe it or not, I actually went to find you. I think I found something. Wait right there.

**[Sae]:** Shouldn’t you be going home? After all, you do have school tomorrow.

**[You]:** Don’t start treating me like a child now. Please.

**[You]:** Just wait there.

**[Sae]:** I am waiting.

With a mental groan, the third year turned around and found the stairwell once again. When he reached the floor he previously came from, Goro almost immediately spotted Sae, absentmindedly going through her phone. 

“Sae!” The detective picked up his pace until he stood by the older detective. She seemed to be off-put, giving him an estranged look but he brushed it off. “Did you notice the man had left at 2:33 in the evening?” 

“Yes, it was on the time stamp for the surveillance. Akechi, what are you getting at?” Sae narrowed her eyes. He could’ve guessed that she didn’t want his deductions, just the solution. Straight to the point, as always. 

“Eyewitnesses put him in Shinjuku at three in the evening, correct?” He didn’t wait for her answer, as it was more rhetorical than anything. “There’s no way he could’ve driven as his car never even left where it was parked. So he had to take the train. The JR Yamanote line would have been fast enough for him to ride, and the sheer amount of people would ensure that he blended in.”

“Okay, but what is your point? How does this solve anything, we still don’t know where we went. Sure, we know the how now, but if we don’t know what happened to him, it’s not going to do us much good.” Sae had a slight tilt to her head. She gently tapped her chin in thought, turning back to where Goro usually positioned himself to do his work. She walked into the room, disregarding the other detective for a moment. “Did the last witness say anything else about him?” 

“Just that he seemed nervous, extremely so. That was it.” Goro walked over and set the papers he had been holding back on his desk.

“And there are no security cameras in that area? At all?” She glanced up at him for a brief moment before she started sifting through the papers. 

“None. I checked. And then double-checked.” The student shook his head. “He must’ve meticulously planned his route, knowing the exact times he would have to leave, and he seemed to have picked an area where he couldn’t be seen.” 

“Did they specify whether or not he was holding anything? If he was picked up by someone?” Sae muttered, more likely to herself than to him. He responded to her anyways. 

“They didn’t know, but I have their contact information.” Akechi pointed to his notepad where tips and numbers were neatly organized on the paper. Sae slid the notepad over and he flipped through the pages until he found the person. “This one.” He pointed to the name as Sae leaned over. 

“I’m going to contact them again, see what I can learn.” Sae took the notepad and Goro’s eyes widened as she turned to leave. 

“Hey! I do believe that’s mine.” He scoffed when she waved him off, too busy in her own thoughts. To that regard, he had to admit they were similar. Falling too deep into a case. 

“I’ll return it tomorrow,” she tried to assure him, however, he just glared at the back of her head as she retreated. “You should go home, get some sleep.”

“And what about you?” Goro pointed out, “if you had your way, you would stay here until they would absolutely kick you out.”

“I have to make some calls first. Have a nice night, Akechi.” With that, she rounded a corner— with his notepad— and disappeared from his sight. He shook his head lightly, he didn’t think calling someone this late at night was a particularly good idea. While it wasn’t too late in the evening, people don’t usually expect calls at this time. He supposed however that justice itself never slept nor waited. 

* * *

Goro sighed as he checked the watch on his wrist, he wasn’t surprised that It was well past seven. It has gotten to the point that staying late at the precinct was a normal occurrence and happened at least a couple of nights throughout the week. It was honestly a surprise to him that he could stay on top of his school work. Goro made his way down the stairs, falling in line with the other people at the station. He truly just wanted to get home and sleep, despite the fact he should be working on schoolwork or other projects he’s taken on. He trekked through the station, only stopping when he heard someone call his name.

“Akechi, is that you?” A voice chimed, and when Goro turned around he noted that it was Makoto. He never really talked with her all that much, never had the opportunity. Then again, he also never had a reason to talk with her. Though he was glad it wasn’t someone asking for an autograph or something of the sort. 

“Ah, good evening Makoto. I wouldn’t expect to see around here this late, it’s nearly eight. What could you be out and about for?” Goro switched the hand that was carrying his case as he offered her a small smile.

“I’m just on my way home, there were extracurricular activities at the school today, so I stayed longer as per usual.” She reasoned with him, her hands neatly folded in front of her. That was certainly something about Makoto, she was so purposeful to stay in line. Everything about her seemed designed and structured. Not that being a calculated person was bad, but Goro always took her as the type of person who appeased other people instead of living by her own desires. 

“Is it safe to assume you just left the precinct?” He nodded his head. “Was… was my sister still there by chance?” The detective thought back to when he left, once they had gotten back Sae had to go all over the place. However, when he left he remembered Sae sitting in her usual spot, fingers deftly typing away at her keyboard. Except along with her computer, coffee, and light, his notepad was there too. He remembers her leaning onto her shoulder as she rapidly typed, her phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder as she alternated speaking with the other line. 

“She was, she had some obligations I believe.” He left his statement simple, as he had no reason to divulge any information to her. She merely sighed and mumbled something under her breath he couldn’t catch. Then she turned to him and offered him a curt nod.

“Oh, well, thank you Akechi. I hope you have a pleasant rest of your evening,” Makoto turned and started to walk away, however he noted the trajectory of where she was walking was now different than the one she had when she approached him. Wherever she was going to, she must’ve changed her mind, as he knew she wouldn’t come all the way out here just to exchange a few words. That was odd. The detective shook his head, continuing to head towards the line that he needed. Wherever Makoto went was her business. 

By the time he reached his meager and cold apartment, Goro was much too tired. His whole body felt exhausted, his eyes felt heavy as the tiredness sunk into his core. Although he had work to do, and it wouldn’t do itself. The detective shrugged his coat off, hanging it by his door before he picked up his case once again as he made his way over to the table he frequently did work at. Taking off his gloves, the student got distracted as his red eyes landed on his wrist. 

_I didn't know detectives kept cute pancake charms._

The words have practically haunted him since he was a kid. It’s not that he hated the idea of a soulmate, but he didn’t have time for one. Goro had too many things to accomplish, and with how far away it all seemed, he didn’t have the time for the theatrics of falling in love. He knew that finding a soulmate is supposed to be the best thing in his life, and he’s heard a few too many stories. But the more he hears, the more it convinces him he doesn’t want one. A few too many times he’s been told about soulmates throwing away opportunities for each other. A few too many times he’s wondered at night if he’d be forced to give up his aspiration. The thing he’s worked his whole life for. The motivation that helped him crawl out of the gutter where he was left to rise above everything. 

Goro could never do that. He swore to himself he would see everything through. That’s why he was where he was today, and he did _all_ of it on his own. He didn’t have anyone to accredit but himself. The student scrunched his nose and slid the gloves back on, pulling at the ends to ensure it covered the mark. Out of sight, out of mind.

At least that’s how he wished it worked.

* * *

The next day passed much like any other, except Goro just felt more exhausted. He had a hard time staying focused on some of his subjects today, his mind wandering back to the case. Goro was just thankful when the day ended, a rare occasion where he spent the whole day at school rather than at the precinct or doing interviews in the city. The detective even had a bit of time before any of his obligations, it was nice. So the detective found himself inside a church, playing shogi with a classmate rather than things he should be doing.

It was always quiet in the church, serenely so. There were a few people here excluding Hifumi. The first thing that Goro always noticed in coming in here, is the distinct smell of incense. No matter what incense they had been burning, it always just combined with all the previous ones into some unique and interesting scent. It wasn’t bad, but he could never place what the smell was similar to as no one scent battled for priority

“You’ve seen better days,” Hifumi spoke bluntly as she placed down her shogi piece on the board. Goro could only chuckle in response, albeit nervously. He stayed up more than he was planning the previous night, and he truly was suffering the consequences for it. It was hard to even plan out his moves in his head, the next move foggy in his head. Though this morning he had focused most of his efforts into making sure he was presentable, that nothing drastic had happened from the previous day. Was it that obvious?

“You saw through me pretty quick,” Goro praised the shogi player who merely just hummed at his compliment. She was always a sharp one, that’s probably why he liked to play shogi with her. Her tactics were second to none, and it always lit some competitive spark in the detective. The haunting desire to be better. 

Hifumi and Goro attended the same school, which is how they got acquainted. Kosei High School, known for being a rather prestigious school that costs a lot of money just to attend. It was his dream school, and Goro worked his ass off to get into it. It was just an off chance run-in that he met Hifumi. Well, not really a run-in. Hifumi makes a habit of playing shogi in places he typically wouldn’t expect. The first time they spoke was when she was sitting by herself, examining the board as if imaging plays in her head in the jazz club. Eventually after a few more visits, she asked him if he’d like to play a game, and when he agreed they later met at the church. It was such an odd setting to find her in, yet he found himself having a small discussion with her. 

“Your moves aren’t usually what they are.” The younger picked up a piece and placed it down. With her skills, it was no shock that she wanted to be a professional shogi player. “Checkmate. What made you so distracted?”

“To be honest, I was just up later than expected last night. I had a lot to finish up.” Goro just sighed and accepted the defeat, he had to say he knew he was cornered a while ago. He just tried to prolong his loss for as long as he could. It made him wonder what move made him lose the upper hand without ever seeing it happen. He offered her a small smile, “thank you for the amazing match, Hifumi. It’s always a pleasure to see how you play everything out.”

She just hummed again, clearing the board from the wreckage that was Goro’s undeniable loss. Good. It was almost sickening to look at how bad he lost that round, he’d rather not be reminded. “It was a good game.”

“Please, no need to be modest, I played pretty poorly today. I’m sure you could’ve won earlier, but you simply decided to drag it out.” Goro waved his hand to dismiss her comment about the good game. He knew otherwise and there was no fooling him. However even once she finished clearing the board and resetting it, she didn’t look at him while he spoke.

“I wasn’t joking, sure the game may have been short,” Hifumi started, satisfied with the reset of the board she folded her hands on her lap. “But every game is worth playing, every game gives you more experience, no matter how seemingly insignificant.”

Goro’s eyes widened. How was it that she could speak such meaningful sentences and not bat an eye? Hifumi truly was a force to be reckoned with even though she was only a second year. The detective glanced around the church, clearing his throat as he dwelled on his next words. “As wise as ever, I truly hope someday I can take a checkmate from you in a game.”

“You will whenever you stop holding back.” She stated it so matter of factly, that Goro was at a loss for words for a moment. How should he respond to that?

“That is if I can ever match your genius,” Goro commended before he glanced at his watch. Realizing the time, he suddenly stood up. He should be heading over to the precinct right now, after all he had to solve this robbery and no one else would. “Tch, I have some business I have to go pretty soon. But again, thank you Hifumi, your insight has broadened my vision once again.”

“Mhmm, if you insist.” She hummed, finally looking up and offering him a short wave of her hand in parting. “Good luck with… whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Thank you,” he gave her a curt nod then picked up his case to exit the church. Truly he wondered why she played here almost every day after school, he never asked her. He’d wager though that it has to do with how quiet it was, and how it allows for maximum focus. As the detective was exiting the church, his phone went off. He reached back and grabbed it, stepping to the side as he read his messages. It looked like Sae was trying to get a hold of him. 

**[Sae]:** Do you think you could meet me in Shinjuku right now?

**[You]:** I could.

**[You]:** What happened? Did you find anything?

**[Sae]:** I’ll explain when you get here. Meet me at the station. 

**[You]:** Understood.

* * *

“Well,” Goro started as he walked towards the other detective who had noticed his presence. “You made it sound so urgent, what’s all this about?”

“Your eye witness is either lying, or they didn’t give the full story the first time around. They said the robber had gotten into a car, and then it drove off.” Sae uncrossed her arms and turned to start walking, motioning for Goro to follow her. He fell into step with her, weaving around the other people at the station. “Either way, they gave me the location where they last saw him. Apparently it was somewhere around the station.”

“Makes sense, if he had limited time,” Goro tapped his chin in thought. What was so important about those company files that the man would be willing to have a whole crime planned out just to take them? It almost made Goro laugh sometimes, seeing how foolish some crooks were. Most of them had the same sloppy, carelessness that all inevitably ended with them being caught. It was just a matter of time.

When the two exited the station, they made straight for the crime scene, they rounded corners and tried to retrace what steps they thought the robber took. The further they went, the more the streets became narrow, and Goro knew that there weren’t any security cameras. Eventually, they came to a quiet part of the city, a silent area that’s atmosphere felt strange. It wasn’t scary, it just felt like he shouldn’t be there. 

“Search for anything you could possibly find, anything that might help,” Sae ordered, immediately starting to look around herself. Neither of them knew quite what they were looking for, especially because there wasn’t anything that stood out. Goro honestly thought it might be hopeless, and as much as he was a detective, he wasn’t a forensics investigator. He wouldn’t be able to properly identify anything. 

Sae seemed to stick to her side of the narrow way, letting Goro cover the rest. The detective blew a lock of hair out of his face; it was times like this that made him wish he had hair ties. Running a gloved hand through his air, his eyes searched relentlessly as he wandered the area. His eyes caught sight of something, however on closer inspection he realized it was just a torn piece of paper. He moved on, walking past it towards the opening of the street onto a road. It looks like the road was a one way considering how narrow it was, and it also seemed infrequently used. 

‘ _Wait, paper?_ ’ Goro stood straight up, turning right back around and walking over to it. He leaned over to pick it up, turning it around to see something scrawled in messy handwriting. He practically had to squint to make out the characters. How it was laid out, it almost seemed like… directions? “Sae, I think I found something,” he called the older detective over.

The other came over, standing by his side and slightly leaning to read it. Or tried to read it anyways. “That’s practically illegible. I can only make a couple of the characters out.”

“Do you think it’s from the files?” Goro looked around as she plucked it from his hands, her eyes sweeping it over and over. He didn’t see anything else that could’ve been related or of interest. The paper for all they know could’ve just slipped out of some kid’s backpack and landed here, it would make sense given the handwriting. 

“Either way it’s coming back with us, we could have a team analyze it then report on the findings.” Sae sighed as she crossed her arms. This was truly less eventful than both of them had hoped it was. “Dammit, I thought there would be more here,” she suddenly turned to him. “And you’re sure there are absolutely no cameras in the area?” 

“None,” Goro affirmed, stopping his searching once more. It seemed this was a fruitless endeavor then, and he wasn’t going to keep expending energy on this if it didn’t have anything. “That paper is our only hope that something even transpired here. For all we know, this could just be some little kid’s homework that got blown away. I mean look at the writing.”

“Still, we have to bring this back and have a team examine this. Neither you nor myself can confirm or deny if this paper has anything to do with this case. We’re not trained in that field.” The other detective explained, though her face soured. “They’re going to hate us both for it though, as we touched potential evidence. Anyways, this is all this place is going to offer us, we should head out.” 

Goro nodded in agreement and followed the other detective out, trailing behind her instead of beside her. He was lost in thought the whole way back, his brain trying to connect the pieces, yet there were still too many holes. He still didn’t even have a clear motive of why a man suddenly would up and rob a company he worked so hard to hold a position in. Unless the intent was there before even going into the job. 

“Sae, do we know anything about the robber’s previous jobs?” Goro inquired once they made it to the trains. “Or any affiliations? Could one of those affiliations outside the company have forced his hand? No… that’s not right.” The more he spoke the more his words became quiet as if he was talking to himself more than the other detective. Thinking out loud is something that happened— according to Sae, not that he believed her— quite often. 

“I don’t know, but I’m betting we could dig some stuff up tomorrow.” Sae answered, however she elbowed him which earned her a scowl. It wasn’t hard, but he wasn’t particularly fond of the contact. “We’re surrounded by people, we probably shouldn’t bring this up in public.”

“You had no qualms earlier, if you recall—” Goro started but he was quickly interrupted by the other detective.

“Yes, I recall, and that was my mistake. Now, until we’re at the precinct we should remain quiet. Just for now.” Sae recommended, and he did as she advised. After all, there was validity to her words. Who knew what rat was eavesdropping on their conversations anyways. It was a rather reckless decision to speak so openly about the case. 

The train ride home though was filled with awkward air between the two. Not so much awkward as it was stagnant. They didn’t speak, nor did they share eye contact. Goro just stood, holding onto the railing while Sae sat on one of the seats. He didn’t mind the quiet, in fact, he welcomed it. He tuned out all the conversations around him and allowed himself to take the closest thing he could get to a break. The detective took the time to go through his messages. A lot of them were just notifications from social media that he always ignored. He opened up his log this time around, and he was bombarded with ‘ _what you missed_!’ type of posts. He scrolled past them.

By the time he grew tired of glancing at the posts, the train had arrived at their stop. Goro was able to exit the train first, and then patiently waited to the side for Sae who no doubt got caught in the flux of people. When she finally managed to get out, he once again fell in step with her. He had some questions that came to him, but he supposed they could wait until the precinct. 

The sun was starting to set, Goro noted when they breached the main city streets. It probably was the kind that people often snapped pictures of when they could. He almost felt compelled to, after all he hadn’t posted on his blog for a while now. He could easily take a picture like this and put some half-hearted cheesy description and move on.

“Pardon me, but are you going to stand there all day, or do you actually want to work on a case with me?” Sae called after him once she had realized that he had been staring at the scenery. “Besides, you’re blocking the path. Move.” It was more of a demand than anything at this point. Goro nodded, looking at the scene for a brief moment and finally turning, though he hesitated in his steps. He stopped and turned, snapping a quick picture of the sunset, the light glinting off the tall buildings as the sky became a gradient of orange bleeding into blue.

“Coming,” Goro replied, satisfied with himself. He could post it later if he so chose. He slipped his phone back into his pocket as he took a couple of hurried steps to catch up to the other detective. They walked away in silence until Sae turned to him.

“I didn’t take you for photos of the sunset type guy,” she teased him, her eyes containing a flicker of something that could only be akin to a mischievous nature. 

“I’m not,” Goro firmly denied the claim she alluded to. The last thing he needed was for Sae to hang onto this one detail, he truly didn’t need it. The younger detective cleared his throat. “Anyways, once we get back to the precinct I won’t have much time, so anything we need to get done we have to quick.”

“You're dismissed for the day,” Sae commented as they entered their destination. “There’s not much else we can do but give this to the team and wait. Besides, there’s no doubt you have your fair share of school worries. You should head back once you have your things. I’ll be sure to get this to them.”

Usually Goro would try and argue and say that he should stay, or he would find some excuse not to go yet. But now he found himself thankful for the opportunity, as the other detective wasn’t wrong in stating he had things to be doing. “I’ll take you up on that. Then I suppose this is goodbye for now, I hope you have a pleasant rest of your evening.” 

He turned to leave, noting how quiet the building currently was. His shoes echoed off the floor, when usually that sound was masked by the bustling liveliness that was the precinct. Though when Sae called his name he paused and turned around, raising an eyebrow.

“Good work today.” With that the other went her own direction, disappearing down some hall Goro himself has never had to go down. The student smiled to himself, putting a purpose in his walk as he went to retrieve his things. 

‘ _I_ _know,_ ’ he added to himself as he waited for the elevator.

* * *

He wasn’t technically supposed to work this morning, though when he woke up to a phone call from Sae about the investigation he came in as soon as he could. He was supposed to actually attend school. Despite being exhausted from poor sleep the past two days, he found himself there in almost record time, all the while informing his school of sudden business that demanded his attention. Upon his arrival, Goro practically followed Sae around hurriedly, waiting for a proper explanation for what was going on.

“The robber was found murdered earlier this morning, currently a forensics team is working on the site. They’ll probably have their hands full for at least a couple days.” Sae said as they headed out the doors of the precinct. “I’m glad I was able to get a hold of you. I honestly didn’t think I was going to.”

“I’m assuming we’re headed out to the site then,” Goro replied, ignoring her previous comment.

“We need to get whatever information we can.”

They took the same path they did the day before to get to Shinjuku, however Sae led them elsewhere for the actual site. Seemingly the opposite direction of where the man was picked up. He mentally noted the street names and the buildings they went by for later reference, all the while making sure he kept up with Sae. The total distance from the station and this site was seemingly further than where the man was picked up.

When they arrived at the site, it was already blocked off, cautionary tape everywhere and multiple police cars pulled up. He wasn’t surprised to already see everyone working as diligently as possible. After all, the scene needed to be cleaned up for everyone else. As they approached, Goro took in what he could of the scene. It wasn’t as secluded as where the man was picked up, in fact there should be surveillance somewhere that could help them. Before the two could actually even pass the cautionary tape, they were stopped by a couple of detectives, ones to which Goro didn’t recognize.

“I’m sorry, but who are you two,” the tall one asked, voice gruff and annoyed. His arms were crossed over his chest as he stared down at Sae. There was seemingly nothing out of the ordinary about him. A traditional black suit that Goro saw a lot of the detectives wear back at the precinct. 

“Sae Niijima, and this is Goro Akechi, we’re the two in charge of this case.” She stated firmly, placing a hand on her hip. She looked at them expectantly, but the other two just glanced at each other for a moment. “Do you need verification? Let us through.”

“You were given a call this morning. Or should have been anyways. This case is no longer yours.” The tall one spoke once again as his presumably partner turned and retreated into the crime scene. “You can leave now. There’s nothing else you can do.”

The two detectives were left to stand in shock while the man turned and went to do the same thing as his partner. Why hadn’t Goro been informed then? He shook his head and turned to the other who was already making a call. She walked a few paces away from him, back turned as she spoke to presumably the director. Meanwhile leaving Goro to his own thoughts as he tried to figure out why the case suddenly switched hands. He watched as the detectives and police scurried about. He saw the tarp that was laid over the body, the forensics force observing things around the body. The young detective prince had always been amazed by the forensics field, given that they could find something that was crucial to the case that was seemingly insignificant. When Sae returned, her face held only a grave expression. She didn’t need to say anything for him to understand.

The train ride back that time was filled with silence.

He was just as aggravated as the other detective was, however she did a pretty good job at standing her ground against the director so he let her have her moment. If there’s been a summary of his day so far, it would certainly be Sae having a debate with the director. Ever since he woke up it’s been nothing but utter chaos. Goro snorted to himself in amusement when he heard her say “ _with all due respect_ ” as she continued to criticize him. Though he kept his posture straight as he waited. Eventually, the director sighed and turned to the two of them.

“I understand your aggravation, and I’m sorry, but this case cannot be in your hands.” The director said, hand behind his back as he spoke. 

“If this is about me just being an intern, I assure you sir—” Akechi started, however the director only gave him a slow shake of his head.

“It’s not about you, Akechi. You’ve already proven your on your way to being a well-honed detective. But the matter of this case cannot be left up to you, please do not take it as an insult to your abilities.” The director halted the young detective. 

“We were onto the case, we could’ve found the closing,” Sae tried, arms crossed and her voice seemed tired, but was holding firm. He didn’t blame her. He was just as exhausted. The director paused and looked out his massive window that overlooked all the other buildings. Funny how symbolic that was, as everyone in this building was in charge of keeping everyone they looked down from this window safe. 

“I’m sure you could have. However that doesn’t change my decision. Any information and or evidence should be handed to the two detectives reassigned to this case. Niijima, Akechi, you will have a new case starting tomorrow.” He turned and nodded to them, a sign of dismissal. The two detectives exited the room, waiting a ways from the office before they started to talk.

“Why weren’t we informed earlier,” Sae’s nose scrunched up as she talked, though only slightly. He knew that she was restraining herself, as she always did. 

“That’s what I’m wondering about. If this truly was a change made by the director, it shouldn’t have taken us going to the site to be told by another detective,” Goro added as they waited for the elevator down. Sae only sighed for what seemed like the thousandth one today.

“Either way, we don’t have the authority to revoke it. So I guess you’re dismissed for today.” They both stepped into the elevator, pressing the button of the floor they needed. “I’ll tell you the new case details when it’s assigned tomorrow.” Goro only nodded in response. When the elevator stopped, they both went there separate ways silently. Now the halls were bustling with people though considering, and it wasn’t eerily quite like last night. He grabbed his things and made haste for the precinct’s exit. 

Though he couldn’t get rid of the bitterness that sat on his tongue knowing he lost grip of the case.

* * *

Over the rest of the day, Goro spent his day in his apartment. It was small, but it was practical. Most of the food in his fridge was all their take out or things he could easily fix up in a couple of minutes so he didn’t have to prepare anything. His place was pretty barren, nor was it exciting. It functioned just as what the detective needed it to be. Besides, the only real reasons he was ever here was just to sleep considering how busy he was. He didn’t have many sedentary moments, and when he did he relished in them. 

Only when Goro had finished up his immediate work, he allowed himself to relax. He tried to do anything to get the bitterness of failure off his tongue, though it kept nagging at him. That’s when Goro made the mistake of turning on the TV, desperate to distract himself. The third-year found himself on the news channel, running a hand through his hair as the news anchor talked about the city of Tokyo and the biggest news. 

Then Masayoshi Shido came onto the screen.

Shido’s boisterous and obnoxious voice was grating to Goro’s ears. The detective’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the man that ruined everything for him. That took anything and everything without a second glance. It took less than a sentence for Goro to aggressively turn off the TV. Even when the screen was dark black, red eyes stared into them. 

He would end that man’s career. He would expose him for everything he’s done, for everything he hid away like the coward he was. For all the injustice he used, the corpses and people he walked on to rise to his station. His ideals, his morals, there was no justice, and no leadership. It was all just self-righteousness. And Goro was going to make sure he was there to see Shido’s ship sink, and he was going to see it through to the end. 

Goro took a deep breath, gritting at his teeth as he continued to stare at the screen. He was fixated at it until his phone went off, drawing him back to reality. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, to try and calm the headache he could feel that was coming on. The detective picked up his phone, seeing his own messy reflection on the screen, seeing how vindictive he looked until the screen came on.

**[Sae]:** I have information on a new case. I’ll send it your way.

Goro’s thumbs ghosted over the keyboard, he couldn’t bring himself to type anything. He struggled with even thinking about something, he’d type it, then erase it and the vicious cycle would continue. Eventually, he settled for a message along the gist of “ _I’ll take a look at it soon!_ ” and sent it, gently tossing his phone to the other side of his small couch. He didn’t want to look at the message Sae would send back.

He was too focused on how to make the bitterness go away. Getting up from his position on the couch, Goro retreated to his room. He walked over to a wall, standing in front of a link board he’s come to memorize like the back of his hand. There were newspaper articles, pictures, and some other seemingly obscure thing. In red there was writing on some note cards that was pinned to the board, red string connecting some of the media. In the center of the board was a picture of Masayoshi Shido himself, the whole board dedicated to evidence Goro had collected through the years. His red eyes narrowed at the man’s picture.

He would see that man behind bars, and he’d do it all himself.


	3. There’s a cat in my bag.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **[You]:** Ryuji help me.
> 
>  **[Ryuji]:** yeah sure thing man whats up?
> 
>  **[You]:** There’s a cat in my bag.
> 
>  **[Ryuji]:** oh you mean like a secret??

Akira yawned and stretched, doing anything he could to rid the tiredness in his system. No matter what he did, it still clung to him, begging his eyes to shut and go back to sleep. He felt groggy and weighed down, dreading the idea of leaving the warmth he had generated under his blanket. He rubbed his eyes and tried to tell himself that he really needed to get up. If he didn’t get up soon, he would be late for school. 

‘ _Damn Sakamoto for calling at whatever ass ‘o clock in the morning,_ ’ Akira mentally grumbled to himself, burying his face into his pillow. Maybe if he laid here long enough, the bed would just engulf him and he wouldn’t have to get up. The teenager found himself drifting off once more against his will, his mind wandering to thoughts of Inaba.

He could make out the streets of the rural town, back when he could just walk to school instead of taking a train. How empty they could be, nothing like the city streets with bursts of color and massive crowds. He dreamed of when Yu, Nanako, and himself used to get popsicles and sit outside on the porch for a while just talking, the sun already set and the night air creeping in. He remembered the calm sereneness of the town, much quieter than here. There wasn’t much to Inaba, as it primarily was known for Junes and murder cases.

The peace of sleep didn’t last for long as his most annoying alarm startled him out of bed, breaking any silence to be had in the attic. The alarm made him sit straight up, reaching for his phone in a rush to turn the damn thing off. Since he was sitting up, Akira swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He had the full intention to actually stand up, but he couldn’t find the energy.

He had been on a call with Sakamoto for two hours too many last night— or more technically this morning. Granted it was all important information, but Akira didn’t understand why they couldn’t have just discussed it in person. It’s not like the other student would’ve forgotten about it come the next day. As Akira reviewed the information that Sakamoto had told him, he organized it all mentally as he got ready for school. Apparently Mishima, the kid on the roof from the other day, was a frequent victim of Kamoshida’s abuse. The major dirt that had started the call had been about how Mishima at one point was in the hospital. He apparently collapsed from being worked too hard, and none of his old injuries were healing with the dangerously rigorous training. His parents apparently threatened to sue the school, which the school responded with some grand scheme, desperate to keep its reputation, and paid Mishima’s parents to keep quiet. The thought made Akira nauseated, the information churning something within him.

Mishima’s parents supposedly took the bribe money. Shut up about a lawsuit and let their son continue to suffer.

The volleyball tournament was in a day, and they had to keep a close eye on Kamoshida and the players. They had made somewhat of a plan, it wasn’t too terribly specific. They were just gonna see the players in the games and try to pick out ones they believed would give them information. Between now and then, they would continue to meet up, at the goddamn vending machines during lunch, and the roof after school.

They just had to hang on one more day.

“You’re up earlier than I expected,” Sojiro noted, “you got obligations now?”

“Something like that,” Akira grumbled as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder. With his spare hand, he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes before sliding them back on.

“Good for you. Keeps you out of trouble.” Sojiro replied, to which he then nodded at a plate that rested at the counter. “That's for y— good grief, kid.” The cafe owner cast the high schooler a concerned look as he almost immediately sat down and scarfed the food. He sighed and turned away from Akira, who chuckled and slowed down. At this point, he was exaggerating himself to get a reaction out of Sojiro.

The curry, Akira has found, was his favorite food since coming to the city. Sure, the ramen places that Ryuji and himself frequented were good and all, but the curry from Leblanc was something different. It was odd to have curry for breakfast compared to that of what he ate in Inaba, but he wasn’t complaining. It was very much a welcomed change. Not to mention the food was free. Since the student had the time, he allowed himself to eat his leisure and scroll through his phone.

“What’s got you so up and early anyways?” Sojiro’s voice cut through the silence of the cafe. When Akira looked up the cafe owner dismissed his own question. “Ah, never mind, not my business anyway.” He turned and went back to whatever it was he was doing before. 

“Thanks for the food,” Akira called into the backroom, popping his head in to see that the owner was seemingly taking inventory. Either that or trying to find something that wasn’t out already. Sojiro responded with a hum and continued his work. 

When Akira had finished he washed his plate and dried it. It was the least he could do. By the time he was done, it was actually time to set out. 

* * *

Akira yawned for what seemed like the umpteenth time since he woke up. He’s been doing it all day, and with good reason. His teachers didn’t exactly appreciate his ‘attitude’ apparently, one of them even threw a piece of chalk that hit him in the forehead. The yawning caused Sakamoto to do it as well, to which the blonde-haired student glared at him from the corner of his eye as he mimicked Akira and stretched. They were currently on break, sitting by the vending machines as per usual. The school in a way felt too stuffy, not physically, but Akira just felt inside was cumbersome. The atmosphere, the students, the faculty, as if their supposedly sneaky glares were going to suffocate him. He tried to avoid those thoughts by absentmindedly sipping at a juice box. He’d like to blame the fact that they insisted on standing by vending machines with nostalgic drinks that bribed his wallet and devoured his cash.

He really wasn’t looking forward to going back to class. The two made small talk as they waited out their break, as there wasn’t much else to talk about with the plan. Eventually, though the conversation only naturally drifted back to what would happen tomorrow. 

“I mean, what if we can’t get any of the players to budge?” Sakamoto grumbled and Akira found himself staring at the ground. He really hadn’t thought about that part yet, considering his biggest wager was with the team. 

“Then we try a different approach.” Akira shrugged, “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I have faith in the plan.”

After that, there was silence. Akira found himself sipping at his— in his opinion— overpriced juice box.

“Hey man, I’ve been thinking about something,” Sakamoto started, however Akira stopped sipping at his drink to raise an eyebrow. Though even as the black-haired student trained his eyes on the other, Sakamoto just looked at his hands as if he was mulling over his words. “I know it might be a little weird and all, since we just met the other day, but you can call me Ryuji instead of Sakamoto. I mean, I don’t just try and throw a teacher in jail with just about anyone.”

Akira was a little shocked, but he welcomed the notion. He offered the other student a small and subtle smile. “Then by all means, Akira is just fine.”

Ryuji seemed pleased with that, a toothy grin curving his lips. Though before the two could actually talk any further, their time for break had ended. They unanimously groaned at the thought, as both of their morning classes had been pretty rough since both of them weren’t exactly at their top focus today.

“Well, it was nice knowing you.” Ryuji hung his head dramatically which made Akira huff in amusement. 

“It’s just a few more classes,” Akira shrugged, all the while knowing the road ahead. It made his nose scrunch. He wasn’t a fan of history to begin with, and now he was going to have to deal with being exhausted on top of that, there was no way he would actually be able to focus. 

“Yeah, but you at least have some idea on what’s going on right now— besides who do you think the faculty has it out for more? You or me?” Ryuji stood up and walked alongside Akira as he threw his juice box away.

“Hmm… trouble maker or the guy with a criminal record,” Akira hummed mockingly, a spurious look of thought shifting his features. “Gee I wonder— hey!” The student laughed as Ryuji lightly shoved him, the blonde snickering himself.

“Come on, man!” Though despite the blonde’s attempts to shove down the humor, it still bubbled up into a fit of laughter. “That’s kind of unfair.”

“How is it unfair?!” Akira guffawed, pushing his glasses up. “I wouldn’t say having a criminal record is cheat— oh whatever. We’re going to be late at this rate.” He rolled his eyes as they entered the school, heading towards the stairs that brought them to the second floor. They managed to walk a few paces forward without laughing, however when the two made eye contact they ended up snickering once more. Some of the other students gave them weird looks, but Akira was used to it by now.

* * *

' _She’s pretty bad at this,_ ’ Akira noted to himself as he walked through the halls. Class had just got out and he had plans to go meet up with Ryuji, but it seemed Ann was insistent on following him. He had to give her something though, she wasn’t being as obvious as she could’ve been, but it definitely could have used more guise. He made nothing of it and took the stairs up to the roof, not surprised to see Ryuji already lounging on one of the chairs in his normal fashion. It always made Akira wonder why there were desks and chairs up here to begin with, because it was a terrible place for storage and it’s not like they were broke or anything.

He walked over to the congregation of furniture and set his bag down before he sat on one of the desks. He leaned back, putting his weight into his hands. “I think Ann followed me up here,” he said in a quiet voice that was just above a whisper, just loud enough to hear. 

“Ann what? Sorry man, couldn’t hear you.” Ryuji tilted his head confusedly as if what Akira spoke was foreign. Honestly, sometimes Ryuji had no sense of when to keep quiet. As if on cue the door to the roof opened, and Ann stepped out, pressing her back to the door and shutting it. 

“So you noticed, huh?” She asked but never gave him the chance to respond, “I should have figured.”

“It wasn’t hard,” Akira gave a small shrug before he sat up straight. “You weren’t exactly being discreet about it.”

“Neither were you the other day, when you eavesdropped on my conversation with Mr. Kamoshida. So I guess we’re even.” The statement left Akira blinking in shock. She had noticed him? He was sure she wouldn’t, yet here they were. “I can tell when someone’s eyes are on me… it’s just a feeling. Do you always go sticking your nose into other people’s discussions?”

“Only when I’m concerned about people’s safety,” Akira answered honestly, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes were drawn to the blonde-haired male, as he for once in his life sat up as if he was suddenly intrigued. 

“You… you have nothing to be concerned about.” Ann started hesitantly, then her voice grew firm, huffing angrily. With the glare she was giving them, it made him scared to be on her bad side.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew what Kamoshida was doing behind your back.” Ryuji interrupted her and she almost seemed startled by his statement. 

“Behind my—? Look, I’m going to get straight to the point. I don’t know what you two are planning, but stay out of it. That’s all.” She spared them one last glance, then turning around she opened the door and disappeared. Ryuji got up, but Akira was quick to grab his wrist and shake his head. 

“Don’t.” Akira turned his gaze towards the door which was now shut once again. The transfer student released Ryuji’s wrist when he was sure that the blonde wouldn’t run off down the stairwell. “Chasing after her wouldn’t accomplish anything.”

“I know but… eugh, why can’t she see we’re just trying to help?” The blonde sunk back into his seat, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “I want all this shit to be over soon, cause no doubt she’s suffering as well.”

“I didn’t know you guys were close,” Akira probed, unconsciously starting to pick at his school uniform. The other student shook his head.

“Maybe once we were, but not so much anymore. It’s not even the fact that we were once close, it’s just someone like her doesn’t deserve shit like this. No one does.”

Silence drifted between the two of them, Akira’s gaze shifting to the sky as he watched the clouds subtly move. The turn out of weather was surprisingly nice, he wondered where they would go if it started to rain, given the fact the roof would be drenched.

“Tomorrow.” Akira declared, eyes never leaving the clouds.

“Tomorrow.” Ryuji agreed.

Tomorrow they would get what they needed to expose Kamoshida. 

* * *

When the bell chimed for what would be the last time, Akira sighed in relief. Sojiro had just left, and the student couldn’t be more thankful for it. Not that he found Sojiro’s presence a bother, but he was tired from today. Extremely so. Every part of his body felt sluggish and enervated, as if his limbs didn’t want to respond, all Akira really desired was a break. Maybe call Yu and rant to him about what's been going on. Though the teenager decided he should probably eat first if he did that. 

Just before Akira could actually get any food there was a noise outside. He stopped and stood completely still in hopes to hear it again. However, it was just the quiet hum of the cafe itself. He must have just imagined it. He moved on and took another step but there it was again. Except it was a different noise. It sounded as if… something outside had fallen. Unable to shake whatever Akira was feeling, he went to go investigate. Upon unlocking the door to the cafe and opening it, he noticed that one of the pots was knocked over.

Immediately Akira’s face paled. If it broke, Sojiro would strangle him. When he rushed over to the pot, the door swung open, but he was too preoccupied with the plant to close it. When he realized that the container was actually just plastic the student was halfway between an alleviated sigh and smug laugh, knowing the cafe owner totally would never keep real porcelain. He cleaned up the bits of soil that were knocked out of the pot and examined the plant. It looked fine to him, there was no obvious damage and it surprised him considering the fall. Not that he was complaining about it of course. Now satisfied, he went back inside, closing the door behind him and locking it once more. 

‘ _I wonder what made that noise though,_ ’ the student pondered, making sure there wasn’t any potting soil clinging to his shoes. The last thing he wanted to do was track it everywhere and have to clean it up. Though when he looked up, he was speechless. On the counter— Sojiro was totally going to have his head if he ever found out— was a cat, eyes full of something akin to a haughty expression. 

“You can’t be in here,” Akira sighed and stepped towards the cat. Hopefully, it would just let him pick it up and put it back outside. It stopped grooming itself to look at him, as if it didn’t think it was doing anything wrong. Though as soon as Akira moved towards the feline, it stood up and back-peddled.

‘ _So that’s how this is going to be?_ ’ The student crossed his arms and stared down the animal for a minute. “You can’t be in here,” he stated firmly as if the cat could understand him. To add an extra measure, he pointed to the door but the feline’s blue eyes didn’t even follow him. It just flicked an ear, before diverting its gaze elsewhere. 

Some audacity this cat had, considering it was the one that broke into the cafe. Weren’t cats supposed to just be a pliant mound of fur? 

There was no way he could keep a cat. It was grimy, all the dust and dirt was probably from being a cheeky shit and knocking over the potted plant. It was then Akira had an epiphany. Did the cat know… to knock over the pot? He shook his head and tried not to go into it, he wasn’t going to debate with himself the intelligence of this cat. The teenager just ran a hand through his hair, staring cluelessly at the animal. Maybe if he fed the thing, it would leave. With a defeated sigh Akira walked over to the fridge and opened it up. He glanced around inside. 

‘ _Cats like milk right? Yeah, that’s what people always feed them in movies anyways,_ ’ he reasoned as he pulled out the milk. Grabbing a saucer, he poured some of it into the dish and slid it onto the counter for the cat. Hesitantly the animal came over to the bowl, giving a few experimental sniffs. It seemed to deem the offering acceptable and started to lap at the milk. Akira’s lips gave into a soft smile, reaching to pet the cat, but it reared back.

“Sorry,” he apologized, raising his hands in defeat. He slowly backed off and the cat seemed content with that and continued to eat.

Akira remained away from the cat, watching it devour the milk as if it was starving. When he carefully scooted closer, so as to not disturb the animal, he noticed it had a yellow collar, and there was a tag that dangled down, presumably containing the name and the owner’s info. 

“Do you mind…?” He didn’t know why he was asking the animal, it only stared at him. He reached slowly for the tag and the cat seemed fine. When he gently grabbed it, he leaned in a bit closer to observe it. 

“Morgana, an odd name for a cat, is it not?” He gave into a chuckle, not only was Morgana an odd name for a feline, but it wasn’t a commonly used name for males either. As if the cat could understand him, he swatted at his hand. Akira withdrew and took the saucer, figuring the cat had his fill since he stopped eating. There wasn’t any information on the owners, it was just the name.

“As much as I’d love to keep you here, your owners are probably looking for you.” This time when Akira reached to pet the cat, he sniffed his hand then rubbed up against the student. Though when Akira looked up, the stagnant air outside had turned into rain. Puddles started forming on the sidewalk as the clouds above drenched the ground. Sojiro would totally kill him tomorrow, but he’d feel so bad if he kicked Morgana out now. With a sigh, he gave the animal one last scratch on the head. 

“You can stay here, just for tonight. Then you should find your owners,” Akira told the cat, wishing the feline could understand him. He had no clue how he was going to sneak the animal out tomorrow. But he could cross that bridge when he got there.

The cat remained on the counter, laying there as he tracked Akira with his eyes. The student cleaned up, making sure everything was set for the next day before he headed towards the light switch, staring at the cat. 

“Hey, come on, you can’t sleep there. Boss will kill me.” The cat got up and jumped down from the counter before it made a hasty retreat to upstairs. Akira flicked the lights off, and using his flashlight from his phone, he navigated his way upstairs. When he got up there, the feline had already made itself comfortable on his bed. ‘ _Little shit_ ,’ Akira mentally commented. He was not sharing his bed with a cat, so he made his way over to his luggage and pulled out a sweater he never wore. Truth be told he didn’t know why he brought it, but it was serving its purpose now. He laid it on the floor and bunched it up for the cat, however Morgana just stared at him with something akin to being unamused. They held eye contact for a bit before Akira gave in.

“Fine,” He pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat, then pointed to the feline. “But you can’t take up the whole bed, you hear me? Or I will kick you off and you can sleep in the rain.” Morgana responded with small chatter and Akira smiled and scratched the top of the feline’s head before he turned to get ready to sleep.

Untrue to his words—meows— Morgana somehow took up most of the bed.

* * *

He knew taking the cat in was a bad idea. When Akira woke up, he couldn’t find that damned cat anywhere. He rushed downstairs to see if it was there, but he only earned an estranged look from Sojiro. Obviously the cafe owner hadn’t seen the cat yet, so it must’ve not gone downstairs. Akira searched his whole room, he checked under some shelves, in some of the boxes— he heard cats like those— and even the bathroom. The cat was nowhere to be found.

Akira observed that his window was open, and he assumed— he prayed— that the cat got out through the opening. Before he left, he shut it and grabbed his bag, rushing back downstairs. ‘ _Shit, I’m going to be late,_ ’ Akira mentally commented as he checked the time on his phone. It vibrated as he zipped up his bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He hesitated, thinking for a moment. Was his bag heavier than normal? No. It couldn’t be, he didn’t touch anything in it. He concentrated on his phone instead. There was a message from Yu. On his way out, Akira opened the message as he headed towards the station. 

**[Yu]:** Yeah, I’ll be sure to check it out, thanks Partner.

 **[Yu]:** I’ve attached some files that you should take a look at as well. 

**[Yu]:** [attachment_052346194.pdf]

Akira snorted as he knew the message wasn’t meant for him. There was only one person that Yu called his partner, and it sure as hell wasn’t Akira. He calculated his reply, knowing it had to be something good, otherwise what was the point? Though periodically he would pause as he made his way to the station, he swore he heard meowing for the past five minutes despite his constant progression forward. Maybe he was imagining things, maybe it was just his nerves.

**[You]:** Oh thanks, I was waiting on that. That was just the last material I needed to complete my evil plan.

 **[You]:** I knew I could count on you. I will rule Japan with this information.

When Akira got to the station, he put his phone aside to make sure he was getting to the right line, the whole way his phone vibrated. When he got on the train he allowed himself to take his phone out, trying to keep his laughter down as he took a seat with his bag on his lap.

**[Yu]:** Akira, delete those texts right now.

 **[Yu]:** Akira I’m being serious, delete those.

 **[Yu]:** You know those weren’t meant for you. Just delete them.

**[You]:** Oh come on, it’s funny!

**[Yu]:** Akira. Delete those texts. 

**[You]:** But I need them for my master plan.

He was going to type more, however he heard the meowing again. Akira looked up from his phone, and he didn’t see a source of where the meowing came from. Though before he could go back to his phone, his bag started rustling and by now the student was slightly freaked out. Slowly he unzipped it, and when he caught a glimpse of what was inside his bag his eyes widened in shock.

No way. No fucking way.

When he unzipped it enough, the cat’s head popped out and it looked rather unimpressed. Akira glanced around, no one seemed to be paying attention to him, nor minding the cat in his fucking school backpack. Despite its surroundings, the cat was rather calm and seemed content when Akira gave Morgana scratches on the head. How the hell was he supposed to get through school with a cat in his backpack? The teenager nervously chewed the inside of his cheek. He couldn’t just dump the poor thing, but he couldn’t exactly put the cat somewhere till school was out either. So, of course, he did the only thing he could do.

**[You]:** Ryuji help me.

**[Ryuji]:** yeah sure thing man whats up?

**[You]:** There’s a cat in my bag.

**[Ryuji]:** oh you mean like a secret??

 **[Ryuji]:** i mean I know we’re not that close

 **[Ryuji]:** but you can tell me anything

**[You]:** No, there’s a literal cat in my bag.

Akira leaned back so he could take a picture of the cat and sent it to Ryuji.

**[You]:** [img_048744131.jpeg]

 **[You]:** Please help me

 **[You]:** What the fuCK DO I DO WITH A CAT IN MY BAG

**[Ryuji]:**

**[You]:**

**[Ryuji]:** WELL FOR ONE

 **[Ryuji]:** WHY IS THERE A FUCKING CAT IN YOUR BAG

 **[Ryuji]:** WHY WOULD YOU BRING A CAT ON TODAY OF ALL DAYS

**[You]:** DON’T YELL AT ME

 **[You]:** I DIDN’T MEAN TO BRING A CAT

**[Ryuji]:** A CAT IN YOUR BAG DOESN’T JUST MAGICALLY HAPPEN

**[You]:** I DIDNT KNOW THE DAMN CAT WAS IN MY BAG

**[Ryuji]:** LITERALLY HOW DID YOU NOW KNOW

 **[Ryuji]:** IS IT YOUR CAT??

**[You]:** SEE THATS THE FUNNY PART

 **[You]:** CAUSE ITS NOT MY CAT

**[Ryuji]:** LMAFO YOU STOLE SOMEONES CAT?? YOU CATNAPPED SOMEONES CAT??? HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN

**[You]:** STOP LAUGHING YOU ASSHOLE AND HELP ME

**[Ryuji]:** YOU CANT SEE ME YOU DON’T KNOW IF I’M LAUGHING

**[You]:** YOU 100% ARE RIGHT NOW DO NOT LIE JUST //HELP ME//

**[Ryuji]:** HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU

 **[Ryuji]:** YOU STOLE A CAT

Akira looked up, hearing this was the end of his line. He chewed the bottom of his lip, he couldn’t just zip the bag back up. Morgana looked at him with expectant eyes. He guessed he could keep the bag unzipped like this. He couldn’t take Morgana home, there was no option other than to keep the cat with him. Hopefully anyway, assuming Morgana doesn’t make a getaway.

“Please don’t try and jump out of the bag, cause then you’re on your own,” he warned the cat, but all Morgana did was flick an ear. With one last head scratch, Akira put his bag on his shoulder, and Morgana sunk into it to hide away from the prying and judging eyes of strangers. 

As he was just getting to school, he realized in his own anticipation and rather hurried morning Akira actually forgot breakfast. It was a dumb move and he was regretting it every step of the way. When the student’s phone vibrated, he took it out of his pocket and was expecting it to be Ryuji. However, when he read Yu’s name, his curiosity spiked and he opened the message.

Akira wished he didn’t.

**[Yu]:** [img_093350032.jpeg]

The picture wasn’t bad, but given his situation, it made him bitter. It was a picture of Akira’s favorite breakfast, the one he would have all the time when he was in Inaba. Looking at the picture made his chest tighten, realizing how much he missed home. Though the picture’s content made his stomach rumble, and Akira’s mood went right back to being bitter.

Akira just sent him a middle finger emoji and closed the conversation. Besides, he had more important tasks to worry about. He entered his homeroom and went straight to his seat and sat down. The student glanced around his classroom, noting that most people were too busy to notice anything around them. Feeling it was safe, Akira put his bag in his lap and opened it. There was enough space for Morgana to lay in the cubby of his desk, the cat seemed to get the message and crawled into the slot. He seemed content, as he didn’t try and escape or anything, he just laid there. Akira was almost shocked, but thankful nonetheless. 

‘ _Maybe it’s that cat and the box thing, like how cats adore boxes,_ ’ he thought as his mind played the worst-case scenario of Morgana getting him caught. Ms. Kawakami broke his thoughts as she informed the students that today was the volleyball rally, almost as soon as she came in. He rolled his eyes as if it hadn’t been talked about all week and hadn’t been posted everywhere. She informed everyone that they were to change into their set of other clothes and report to the gym. 

The student mentally groaned, he really didn’t like the school’s gym clothes. Regardless, he had to change into them. Not to mention he still had to take his bag with him, considering there was a fucking cat in it. When the students were ushered into the gym, he made quick work of finding Ryuji. 

“Hey man,” Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the other students pour into the gym. He hated that the gymnasium looked more like a stadium, meant to be filled with people watching the ruling of a tyrant on a court. Commanding it as if the players were some type of lowly subjects, nothing but throw away pawns in some ‘grander picture’. The players on the court looked nervous save a few of them. The black-haired student easily picked out Mishima, who looked more tired and nervous than the rest of them. Kamoshida seemed busy talking to the other adults, while people lined up on the sides, presumably cheering. It was a sick sight to see. At the end of the line as Ann, tuning out the world and staring at the end of her hair with disinterest. 

“Hey,” Akira greeted, giving the other a nod of acknowledgment. “Just keep your eyes open, take note of anything that could be useful.” Ryuji hummed in response, as his eyes were trained on the players as the game started. The two of them hung back towards the back wall of the gym on the player’s side. Akira’s eyes wandered the area for anything of interest, and he narrowed them when he spotted a security camera with a red light that was on.

‘ _Of course this place had a security camera in here. Shujin is a prestigious school with a grand gym, the structure must be their pride and joy. The camera must be recording._ ’ He reasoned with himself, and while it may have seemed obvious, he made sure to remember that for later. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that this school had more security measures than normal. He kept scanning around, making eye contact with Ann who only turned her head away from him in denial. 

“Hey Ryuji, is this the gym that they use for practice?” Akira asked suddenly, turning to the blonde whose eyes were still trained on the players, studying their movements and reactions. 

“I think so, why, what’s up?” Ryuji finally turned towards him. 

“I’ll tell you later.” The black-haired student waved his hands to dismiss the topic, turning his attention to the court just in time for Mishima to get hit square in the face. There was no way that was an accident. The spike was much too forceful and was definitely planned. The player collapsed onto the ground, and all of his teammates backed off, looking at him with a mixture of anger and fear. Kamoshida glared at him for a minute before ducking under the net and walking over to Mishima.

“Someone quick, help him to the nurse’s office!” Kamoshida had a simulated concern in his voice as two students from the side helped the volleyball player stand, practically dragging him off the court and out of the gym. With nothing else said, the coach stood up and glanced to where Akira and Ryuji had sat. At first, the transfer student had been confused as to why, but then Ryuji threw the volleyball back at the coach. Even when the coach had the ball, he scowled at the two before he continued about his business.

“God what an asshole,” Ryuji muttered under his breath, “it’s like he’s trying to pick fights.”

“That’s exactly what he’s doing, he wants to rile you up just like last time so you act out,” Akira shrugged as he watched the game start up again. “That way he can get rid of you for good. That’s why we have to be careful, because he has the advantage here.” Silence fell on the two of them as the gym echoed with calls for the ball, the scuffing of shoes on the polished floor, and loud cheering from the sides. It all seemed so superficial, nothing about this seemed organic.

“Oh by the way, whatever happened to the cat scenario?” Ryuji asked, but this time he kept his eyes on the court.

“It’s with me,” he replied in a rather monotone voice.

“What?!” That made Ryuji flinch in reaction, eyes wide in shock. His sudden outburst made a few students turn towards them and he scratched the back of his neck idly in a nervous manner. Then he turned back to Akira. 

“He’s in my bag.” Akira reached into the unzipped bag and scratched the cat who popped his head out for a brief moment. Ryuji just stared in disbelief. 

“For real?! You brought a cat into the school?” He asked in a harsh whisper, giving Akira an incredulous look. 

“Announce it to the whole school why don’t you,” Akira grumbled as he shoved the cat’s head down when the students once again turned towards him. Morgana gave a complaining meow in retaliation. 

“Sorry,” Ryuji apologized and then he started to laugh, shaking his head in amusement. “I can’t believe you’ve gotten away with it so far.” 

“Shh, focus on the game.”

“Oh right!” 

* * *

It was easy to spot the kid they were looking for. This guy had bandages wrapped all the way around his head, even some over his left eye. He wondered if the other student even got any professional medical help. If he could. He was looking at the board where Ms. Kawakami had various papers pinned to it as Akira walked up. Though it seemed the student noticed him and got frightened, immediately backing up. 

“What do you two want? I should’ve figured that the scum like you two would skip the rally.” He immediately went on the defensive, face turning to a scowl. Akira knew this would happen, as most people weren’t excited when he approached them. In fact, much like Ryuji, they avoided him. Though some had the audacity to talk about the rumors when he was right there. Each rumor was blown out of proportion to a dramatic extent, so much so that he had a hard time distinguishing the original event they were talking about.

“We just want to talk, that’s all. No need to be frightened.” The black-haired student offered, trying to placate the volleyball player. However, he still seemed rather on edge. 

“Well make it quick, what do you need?” 

“Kamoshida has been abusing you, hasn’t he?” Akira flinched when Ryuji presented the question. It wasn’t as effective with this student, considering he already was on guard. 

“No! Of course not!” The student interjected, hands balled into fists by his side. 

“Look, you can tell us, we’re not going to rat you out.” Ryuji tried, but as the student looked up and watched the lingering students in the classroom he turned to them once again. This time with an expression of annoyance. 

“No. That’s my final answer, now get out.” 

Ryuji and Akira exchanged glances with each other, and with a mutual nod, they let the student be. Leaving the classroom, Ryuji groaned as he hung his head in disappointment. 

“Sheesh, at this rate the tournament will be over and this will all be for naught. There’s still a few more guys to ask too— hey, wait a minute. What if we split up? Maybe people will be less intimidated as well,” Ryuji stepped closer, placing his hands on Akira’s shoulders. “That’s it! How about you talk to the third year, I’m going to try my luck with another student. But the third years are downstairs, he should be in class 3-C if I remember correctly.” 

Before Akira could agree or disagree the blonde had run off as if he was a detective that found a lead on a case. It was amusing to see him scramble down the stairs. 

_‘3-C, huh?’_ Akira found himself heading down the stairwell to the third year floor before he could question anything. He was fully intent on essentially interrogating the guy, but when he saw Ann from across the hall he stopped. She seemed to be talking to another student. Akira drifted closer, as much as he could without Ann noticing. If she picked up on him last time, he was set on making sure she wouldn’t notice him this time. He leaned against the wall with the shoulder that didn’t have his bag, and pretended to preoccupy himself with his phone as he eavesdropped. 

“Shiho, I’m certain everything will be fine, there’s no way he’d take you off the roster,” Ann’s voice was much softer in tone. Way more so than she ever held talking to Ryuji and himself, it was almost off-putting. “Everything will work out, okay?”

He couldn’t hear the other girl’s responses, as she was much too quiet. 

“As soon as you win nationals, how about you and I take a trip?”

“Shiho, don’t say that, I know you can do it. It’s just a little longer, okay?”

“Promise me, okay?”

Akira pushed off the wall, that conversation seemed much too private and it wasn’t what he needed. Walking by Ann, he found the classroom 3-C, and just as he passed by her, he heard Ann’s voice, devoid of the softness she had moments prior, a tinge of spite remaining past the surface of her words, easily missable. 

“I won’t let that happen.”

He had no idea what she was talking about, but he was scared for whoever the comment was directed for. Dragging himself out of thought, the transfer student remembered why he came here. His steely eyes scanned the hall, making eye contact with a student who was more or less in the same condition as the one he had spoken too earlier. And much like the other student, as soon as they made eye contact he went on the defensive and Akira could almost physically see the walls go up.

“What do you want?” His voice was gruff and almost worn out, and it sounded like he was desperately trying to hold a facade he knew would fall.

“How’d you get hurt?” Akira gestured, feigning a nescient tone.

“It’s from practice, obviously. I know the other sports teams don’t understand what true training entails,” he huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned on the table behind him for support. Akira didn’t miss the way the student had to stay off his left leg, as if he couldn’t put pressure on it. Though before Akira could respond, another student walked up, eyes trained on papers until he had come to stand in the conversation. The newcomer squinted at him, then his face soured, lips turning downwards into what could only be disgust. 

‘ _You’re pretty ugly yourself pal,_ ’ Akira mentally quipped, and despite the urge to say it, he refrained. He didn’t need to light some fuse with the third years, that’s the last thing he needed right now. 

“I know you. You’re the new second year, the one that everyone is saying murdered someone. You hang out with Sakamoto, right?” Once again Akira couldn’t even get a response. “Doesn’t matter, either way, you’re snooping for things about Kamoshida right? Get lost.”

“Pardon me, but I do believe I was talking to the volleyball player, and not you.” Akira offered the other a plastered smile, which seemed to make him disconcerted enough to want to turn on his heel to leave. He wished he could pull out his camera and take a picture of the guy's response, he should’ve sent it to Ryuji. He bet the blonde would’ve doubled over in laughter, wheezing for a solid minute as he tried to stutter out a sentence.

“Don’t say anything stupid,” he warned the player before he stalked off, grumbling something about how Akira had ‘no respect’.

“I see. Look, I’ll only say this once. Our team is on the national level, it’s why our school is seen as a prestigious school. Of course our practices are gonna be rough. So I don’t care what tiny town you came from, but get used to this cause it’s not the middle of nowhere anymore. Now get lost, I don’t need the faculty thinking we’re friends.” The volleyball player spat, giving him a shooing motion. Akira heaved and left, knowing he wasn’t going to get any more information out of the dude. If that prick hadn’t shown up, then maybe Akira could’ve actually gotten some useful information. When he was far enough from the injured student, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Ryuji. 

**[You]:** I couldn’t get the guy from 3-C to budge. 

**[Ryuji]:** damn

 **[Ryuji]:** my leads didn’t go anywhere either

 **[Ryuji]:** DAMMIT

 **[Ryuji]:** everyone is so freaked out that we’re gonna snitch on them how the fuck are we actually supposed to do anything at this rate

**Ryuji is typing…**

**[You]:** Maybe— why are you still typing?

**[Ryuji]:** I think that theres actually a student who we havent tried yet hes a first year

**[You]:** Well, can I at least get a name this time? Or a class?

**[Ryuji]:** hey I gave you a class last time

**[You]:** It’s not much help if they aren’t in the classroom.

**[Ryuji]:** even if I wanted to I cant, I don’t know anything about the guy

 **[Ryuji]:** im sure you can figure it out

The transfer student’s nose scrunched up as he read the final texts. With a sigh, he started making his way to the third floor where the first-year classrooms were. He hoped this guy would at least give him information.

* * *

Short answer: No. The first-year student was too anxious to even look at him. The only thing of interest that was said was the fact he brought up Mishima. Akira was really getting sick of this wild goose chase, why couldn’t someone just give him something conclusive? 

_‘Probably cause I’m apparently the school’s local murder according to the rumors.'_ He thought as he was about ready to text Ryuji. A voice suddenly came over the intercom that stated the rally was over, and that all students should prepare to leave.

‘ _Great, I accomplished literally nothing._ ’ Akira mentally groaned and pulled his phone out just as he was about to text Ryuji.

**[Ryuji]:** man the rally is over

 **[Ryuji]:** we’re out of time and I didn’t find anything goof

**[You]:** I didn’t find anything of interest either

**[Ryuji]:** damn, okay well lets just meet out in the courtyard

Akira probably would’ve given Ryuji shit for the vending machines again, but now wasn’t the time. Like promised, he made his way outside. The blonde was already there when Akira showed up. Noticing that there were fewer people, Morgana actually popped his head out of his bag once again. He wondered if this cat had some extraordinary ability to know when to hide, or if Akira was just lucky. He didn’t know which one he wanted more.

“All of my leads were a farce, I got nothing. You?”

“Did you even read my texts?” Akira raised an eyebrow amusedly.

“Well I did, but I was hoping between here and the first floor that something would’ve changed.” Ryuji stuck his hands into the pockets of the gym shorts, eyes cast downwards. “Not even a name or anything.”

“Well the first year mentioned Mishima,” Akira shifted his weight and mimicked the other, putting his hands into his own pockets. 

“It’s worth a shot, but we gotta catch him before he goes.”

Mishima apparently liked to take his sweet ass time getting out of school, as when the two got inside, he was still there. He wondered if the kid was held back by someone, or maybe Kamoshida. Most of the school was cleared out by now, and as they approached Mishima his eyes started to glance for the nearest exit. He understood that the other student had volleyball practice, however even then he probably would’ve been there by now.

“Not you two…” he mumbled, and Akira almost missed it with how small his voice was.

“We just wanna chat, that’s all,” Ryuji tried to ease the other student, apparently though that only made Mishima more nervous. “Kamoshida has been ‘coaching’ you, hasn’t he?” This time Ryuji changed how he presented the question, and with obvious force behind the word coaching, it was quite distinct what the real meaning entailed. Akira would have applauded the blonde for learning to be discreet if it wasn’t for the moment.

“I saw you got a spike to the face,” Akira added, tilting his head slightly at the other student. “It seemed there was more than just a competitive team intent behind it.”

“Well, I’m not very good at the sport…” Mishima looked at the ground, tapping the toe of his shoe against the floor. 

“No matter how bad you are at volleyball, you don’t come back littered in injuries like that,” Akira gestured to all the wounds Mishima bore. The kid was black and blue all over, bruises littering his skin, scrapes, and floor burns on the arm that wasn’t in clinical wrapping. “Split lip, a large bruise under your eye, bandaged arm, need I say more?”

“Is he forcing you to keep quiet about all this?” Ryuji asked with a more quiet voice, leaning forward as he tapped his foot on the ground in impatience. Mishima seemed rather shocked, he stilled for a minute. He hesitated on his words, opening then closing his mouth. As if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find anything to say. It left Akira to wonder if the rumor about the school paying off Mishima’s parents had some validity to it, every detail included.

“Is he—” before Akira could finish his sentence, an annoyed voice interrupted him, stalking over and forcing his way into the conversation.

“Mishima, shouldn’t you be at practice right now? And you two,” Kamoshida turned to them, his eyes narrowed in disgust. “Go home. There’s no reason for punks like you to loiter around.”

If Mishima was going to say something, he certainly wasn’t anymore. The student just sighed and walked off, most likely to get prepared for practice. When the volleyball student left, nothing was holding Kamoshida back anymore.

“One more false step, and you’ll be out of here for good. You understand?” Kamoshida glared down at Ryuji, and then turned his attention to Akira himself. “That goes for you too. Don’t forget that.” Seemingly satisfied with reminding the two of their supposed place, he turned and stalked off with a certain arrogance that made Akira’s blood boil. 

“There’s no point hanging around here, let’s get out of here,” Akira bitterly grumbled to the blonde who agreed.

Once they had changed out of their gym clothes, the two of them headed out and ended up going to a ramen shop once more. At this rate, Akira was really going to need a job if he wanted to keep going places. Luckily, this time the place seemed to be mostly empty, save them and the staff of course. 

“He has to be telling them something…” Ryuji pushed his food around, which was new. Usually, he just immediately scarfed any food down that was set in front of him. Well, good food anyways. 

“Maybe…” Akira started, dwelling on his words for a second before he continued. “Maybe that rumor, the one about the school paying Mishima’s parents off is true. I mean look how he reacted when you asked about forcing him to keep quiet. Why else would he stay so reserved?”

“You think so?” Ryuji set his food down, more invested in the conversation than his appetite. 

“It would explain a lot of things. He probably uses Mishima as an example, because otherwise how would he control a mass group like that? If any other parents tried to press charges, surely by now they’d all been snuffed out by cash. Any remainders are essentially shoved into line, thinking they won’t be able to do something.” Akira indignant spoke. The idea of it making his skin crawl with disgust. “I noticed something in the gym today, I saw they had cameras. Assuming they’re always recording, there’s video evidence of what goes on at practice.”

“Akira, you’re a genius! Holy shit!” Ryuji’s jaw dropped in awe, and immediately the moment fell and was replaced by confusion. “Wait a minute, we can’t get access to any of it though, how’re we gonna use it?”

“We’ll have to think of something. But at the same time, if the school is sending money to cover Kamoshida, they’re going to have records of that too. Again, we just… gotta figure out how we’re gonna get to that information, and how we’re going to use it.”

Before they left, Akira let Morgana have some of the noodles, since he was practically pleading for it on the chair next to him. ‘ _Is this cat literally a bottomless pit?_ ’ he wondered as he kept handing noodles to the enclosed feline. Morgana better not have gotten any of his notebooks with the noodles. They finished the rest of their food and casually discussed things. The conversation eventually drifted away from Kamoshida, and Ryuji started to talk about seemingly random things. Such as a video game he’s had his eyes on for a while, how he missed running. It was nice to get to know the blonde more though, even though they started all of this, it reminded Akira that they don’t truly know each other that well yet. Akira was still trying to understand how Ryuji was so open and friendly towards him despite not even knowing each other that well. He supposed the least he could do was try and return the favor. 

“Text me if that genius brain of yours finds anything out!” Ryuji waved as they went their separate ways. Akira offered him a wave back and an amused smile.

“Yeah, and don’t call me at 2:57 AM.” That earned a laugh from the blonde.

“Noted, no more 3 AM calls," Ryuji chuckled, heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

He shouldn’t, Akira knew he shouldn’t. But just like before, he had a hard time just walking away from the girl. Not when she sounded distressed and talked rather loudly on the phone. No matter the discussions around him, she was the loudest. 

“I told you, I’m not feeling up for it today!” She paused as if waiting for the other person to respond. “Wait a minute, that’s not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?! This has nothing to do with Shiho!” Her voice seemed to grow more desperate. He wondered if Shiho was by chance that black-haired girl he’s always seen her with. 

Was she calling… Kamoshida? Either way, whoever she was calling hung up and Ann looked at her phone in disbelief. Though what shocked Akira was when the female suddenly lowered herself to the ground, in the middle of the station, hugging her knees as if to comfort herself. He thought he may have heard a mumble, however he didn’t know what she had said. Now concerned, Akira slowly walked over to her, and when she heard the footsteps and looked up, she stood tall and back-peddled away from him.

“You again? Don’t tell me you eavesdropped on my conversation,” Ann gave him a bitter look, but with her eyes tearing up, it didn’t have its full effect. 

“Not on purpose, I just heard you were distressed. You’re louder than most people you know,” Akira denied her inquiry as he relaxed in posture. 

“…Oh. Sorry, I was, I was out of line that time,” She looked up for a brief moment, blinking rapidly. Probably to dispel the evidence of tears. He wouldn’t hold her at fault for that. “So... how much did you manage to hear?”

“Not all of it, just about your friend,” Akira offered, gesturing with his hand as if that would help. “Shiho, was it?”

When he said the other student’s name, Ann’s eyes drifted downwards. She started tearing up, and with her resolve crumbling, she did the best to gather herself as she tried to convince herself more than him. “It’s nothing at all. Nothing.”

She wiped her eyes then turned and ran into the station, leaving Akira speechless. Though he didn’t have time to hesitate if he wanted to make sure she was okay. He had to follow her before she disappeared. Honestly though, he wasn’t expecting her to be as fast as she was, Akira struggled to keep up. He felt bad for Morgana, who no doubt was disturbed in his bag as he heard some jumbled and disturbed meows. The black-haired student practically ran down the right side of the escalator and dodged the other people at the station as he kept his eyes trained on a fleeting platinum blonde.

Eventually, he lost sight of her, coming into a large plaza. It was filled to the brim with people and shops, all the signs as distracting as the city streets. Though it wasn’t hard to spot her, considering she contrasted against all the other people. Even with her back turned to the crowd, no doubt trying to reassemble herself. When Akira once again approached she turned to him, but this time she couldn’t muster up a glare.

“Will you please stop following me?! Just leave me alone!” She snapped, shaking her head as if she didn’t understand why he was tracking her.

“I just want to know you’re safe, that’s all. I won’t bother you, I won’t talk to you, I just want to know you’ll be okay. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for letting you run off,” Akira honestly said, and that seemed to be the last nail in the coffin for Ann, her walls falling down as her posture relaxed.

“Why are you so nice to me… why can’t you just be like everyone else? Why do you bother worrying about me? We’re not even friends…” her eyes welled with tears, but this time all she did was cover her mouth to muffle the sob. Akira offered her a sorrowful look, feeling rather useless at the moment. 

“Hey, let’s go somewhere, and you can talk about whatever you feel comfortable with.” Silently she nodded, leaning over and picking up her bag, she speed-walked into a nearby cafe. She got in line and Akira tilted his head. “Hey, why don’t you grab a seat and I can order drinks?”

“But, why would you pay for my drink?” She wiped her eyes before sparing him a glance.

“Just go find a chair, don’t worry about it.” She just nodded silently and exited the line to go find someplace in the cafe while Akira ordered. Honestly, once he got up to the desk he barely remembered what he had ordered. His mind was so busy, the only thing that cued him in to the fact the drinks were ready, was a barista called out his name.

When he found her, he handed her a hot chocolate. Ann looked at him incredulously, now calmer than she was before. He felt her eyes staring into the back of his skull the entire way from picking the drinks up to the table. He couldn’t blame her though. She was probably glaring to make sure he didn’t slip something into her drink after all.

“It’s hot chocolate, I figured that would suffice,” he spoke as he handed her the drink. She gingerly took it before taking a sip.

“Thank you,” her voice was small but Akira didn’t mind. Ann picked her head up and looked him dead in the eye. “But I don’t have anything to talk about with you. It was an argument that doesn’t concern you.”

“As I said, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Akira took a drink of his own hot chocolate as he sat across from the other Shujin student. “I’m just concerned since it sounded like you were arguing with a teacher.”

“You really did hear every last word, didn’t you?” She muttered, though not in an aggressive way. From her voice to the way she held herself, it was obvious Ann was dealing with a lot. She seemed stressed, and Akira could guess why but he knew there were other contributing factors. Before the transfer student had a chance to say anything, the other nervously started to trace patterns into the table. He never even would have guessed that was the start of Ann telling him what was going on.

She spoke about the call, who was on the other line, and what it meant. She spoke about Shiho, and how she was her best friend and could lose a spot on the team. How there was nothing left at shitty Shujin but Shiho. When she was done she once again her eyes contained tears that threatened to fall at the slightest thing, and just like last time she wiped them away, as if she didn’t want him to see the vulnerable side of her. Ann looked up at him, making eye contact she asked him: “What should I do?”

Akira chewed the inside of his cheek, his opinion wasn’t what she wanted to hear. While Akira was in thought, he didn’t hear his bag, which was by his chair on the ground, unzipping seemingly by itself. When Ann suddenly gasped was when he looked up. Her weak laughs were almost covered up by the ambient noise of the cafe, a smile curving her lips, and while he wasn’t complaining he was just confused. Then he saw the bastard.

Morgana had slipped out of his bag and had jumped onto the booth seat that Ann chose. She laughed as she scratched his head and ran her hand down his back. Morgana gave a contented noise as he rubbed up against the girl in a friendly manner. With a smile, she turned to him, “you keep a cat in your bag?”

“Not by choice, but yes apparently,” Akira crossed his arms and leaned back into the seat, watching as Morgana sat by Ann while she pets him.

“Never would have guessed you bring a cat to school.”

“This was his first day, really. I didn’t even know he was in the bag till it was too late. He sat at my desk today, surprised the kid behind me didn’t say anything.” With that statement Ann’s eyes widened, her hands flying to her mouth before she leaned forward. 

“You brought the cat to class?! How did I not notice?!” She seemed shocked, but soon her eyes creased with humor and she was laughing. Diverting her attention back to the cat, who’s eyes were now closed and he was purring. “I never would’ve guessed that… you’re so easy to talk to. I mean, I just spilled my secrets to you, you miraculously didn’t look at me in disgust, and yet I barely know you.” 

“As I said, I’m just concerned. I’m sorry for all the times I’ve eavesdropped.”

“No, it’s okay, like I said I’ve eavesdropped on you a few times as well.” She retracted her hand from petting Morgana to pick up her hot chocolate and take a sip. The feline seemed offended because his head popped up and he opened his eyes as if he wondered where all the attention had gone. “I just can't even begin to wrap my head around you. Usually, everyone has just passed by me, but you don’t. In fact, it’s almost like you refuse to. Are you really as bad as the rumors say, I mean, how can someone who apparently murdered someone carry a cat in his bag?”

“It’s my secret weapon,” Akira couldn’t help his own joke. But he leaned forward and put his elbows on the table, offering Ann a sincere look. “Since you gave me some of your secrets, I’ll give you some of mine. No. I didn’t kill anyone. I came from a small place called Inaba. The ‘too long didn’t read version’ of how I got here. I tried to help a woman who was getting harassed by a drunk guy, and when he fell he blamed me, took it to court, and guess who won?”

Ann pressed her lips into a line as she offered him an apologetic look. “So people call you a murderer for that? I suppose we’re both in the outsider boat together, then. You seemed… lonely, like you didn’t belong anywhere.

Akira froze. It was such a subtle statement, why the hell did it hit him so hard then? He didn’t reply, he knew why she was able to pick that up from him. It was because just like him, she too felt the same feeling. He snapped out of his thoughts when Ann spoke again. “I wish he would just forget about me, that there was a way to fix this.”

“What if I told you there was?” Akira answered, and she seemed interested. Then as soon as the interest came it disappeared, replaced by something akin to disappointment.

“I don’t know what you and Sakamoto are planning, but I can’t be a part of it.” She stood up, much to Morgana’s disappointment. She picked up her bag and pulled it over her shoulder, giving the cat one last head scratch as she picked up her drink. “Well, I gotta get home. Thanks for talking with me.” 

She stopped before she could turn to leave, then glared at him from the corner of her eye. “Don’t tell anyone what I told you.”

“My lips are sealed,” he made a motion of zipping his mouth and tossing the key, which earned him a chuckle. 

“Thank you, Kurusu.” With that she faced the cafe exit and walked out into the station, disappearing within the crowd of people. Akira picked up his phone and glanced at the time, he supposed he should get back as well. It was getting pretty late after all.  
  


* * *

Akira didn’t expect this today. Not at all. The day went by seemingly normal, a quiet lull during class as the transfer student pretended to do some work. Though the bustling of students out in the hall cued him into the fact there was something going on. Teachers demanded that they come back into the classrooms, but no one listened. They all murmured amongst each other, and soon enough Ann rushed out of her seat.

“Oh my god, she’s going to jump!”

“Who is that up there?!” 

“Don’t do it!”

The halls filled with the voices of students, loud and almost deafening as every student’s prying eyes gazed out the windows. 

They were all watching Shiho Suzui, standing on the ledge of a building.

Akira watched in horror, in a sick and twisted way unable to tear his eyes from the scene. Only when Ann screamed and ran off could he finally move again. Before he could chase after her, Ryuji had run up to him. There was a sudden scream from the crowds, the gossip continuing at a louder rate, Akira looked back to the roof. 

Shiho Suzui was no longer standing at the ledge. 

Akira’s hand flew to his mouth, resisting the urge to throw up. He felt nauseous, and he really wanted to sit down as a brackish taste came to his mouth. But he didn’t have time for that, he wordlessly looked at the blonde-haired teen and they nodded. Ryuji led the way, trying to push past the crowds. Akira tried not to focus on the whispers. They made him more sick than he was already. By the time they got down to the courtyard, Suzui was with some paramedics, covered by the medical sheet. Ryuji and Akira weaved their way to the front, standing behind Ann who was extremely distraught, tears once again at the corner of her eyes, her face as pale as a ghost, standing there and trembling. Akira turned to Ryuji, who was shoving a kid’s phone down, in the process scaring them enough to flee. When he looked behind them, he spotted Mishima who looked terrified in his own right, and he almost seemed to be mumbling to himself. 

“We need someone to go with her!” A paramedic called into the crowd, and Akira hated the way that the faculty shrunk away. Most of them claimed they weren’t her homeroom teacher, therefore they couldn’t go. “Please!” The paramedic tried again, voice growing desperate.

“I’ll go with her!” Ann shouted, raising her hand. The paramedic seemed doubtful at first, but then nodded. 

“Then by all means, please hurry, we need to get to the hospital quickly.” The paramedic motioned to Ann, “this way.”

Ann ran up to kneel by Shiho, no longer holding back her tears. The two seemed to exchange words, none of which Akira could catch. All he noticed was her eyes widened and then she mouthed a word, which appeared to be ‘Kamoshida?’ He couldn’t be for sure, however. When the paramedics drove off, the teachers tried to corral the students back into classrooms. _‘Like that was going to work,'_ Akira bitterly thought as he was forced to follow the mass crowds of students. He felt his desire to see justice grow more, he couldn’t continue to let Kamoshida victimize other students. Justice had to come forth.

Not soon. But now.

“Hey, did you notice Mishima, he just ran off, that way.” Ryuji interrupted his thoughts, pointing over his shoulder to indicate where the volleyball player got off to. “You saw him outside right? We gotta check him out.”

They found Mishima in a frenzy, shaking and his breathing was erratic, he seemed to be mumbling something to himself but once again Akira couldn’t catch it. It was too quick and jumbled for him to decipher it. When he noticed the other two, he panicked more.

“Please…” his voice was weak and it wavered throughout his words. His eyes were glassy as he tried to calm his breathing “please just leave me alone.”

When Ryuji went to open his mouth, Akira put a hand in front of the blonde. Now was not the time to pressure Mishima, he obviously wasn’t in a stable state, he didn’t need to be tipped further off balance. 

“Mishima, we’re not here to pressure you. I promise okay?” He knew what was happening to Mishima right now. He was having an anxiety attack, and it wasn’t Akira’s place to make him feel worse than he was. Slowly the volleyball player nodded, swallowing as he analyzed Akira’s every move. The transfer student could tell Mishima was forcibly trying to stop himself from shaking, but that’s not how that worked, no matter how much Mishima desperately wished it was.

“Can… can I please have a minute?” His voice was practically pleading, and the transfer student felt bad he even had to ask. 

Akira looked at Ryuji nodded towards the door, the blonde stared for a second then realized. He gave Akira one last glance before heading out, the black-haired student followed in suit and they walked away from the room, giving Mishima as much time as possible within reason. They stood in silence as they watched the hall, making sure that none of the faculty would come for them. When Mishima finally came out, Akira didn’t know how much time had truly passed. 

“You good?” Ryuji asked, genuine concern in his voice. “We’re sorry for chasing you down like that.”

“No… but, I have something to get off my chest…” he started, nervously picking at his clothes. His voice was still weak, and Mishima’s cheeks and nose were colored red. He looked around before he continued, as if he was scared Kamoshida would walk around the corner any minute. “Can we please talk on the roof?”

“Yeah. Anything man.” Ryuji replied for both of them. Mishima wordlessly turned to go up the stairs as the two followed. When they reached the roof, Mishima kept their back turned to them. 

“Look… Kamoshida is known to physically punish students… he,” Mishima paused and took a deep breath, his hands curled into fists by his side. Even now, Akira could still see Mishima shaking.

“Mishima, we understand it might hurt to tell us, but we’re running out of time, we can give you a few moments if you need, but we really need to hear this” Akira offered, as much as he didn’t want to, given their certain circumstances. He really wasn’t trying to push the other student, but the volleyball player stood his ground and shook his head.

“I need to tell you, I’m tired of running from it, no or later won’t make a difference, it’ll still be just as painful” he stated, taking in a shaky breath then continuing. “He would call them into his office, especially if they messed up… and the other day, he, he made me call Suzui. She hadn’t even done anything wrong but he was really mad…”

“That damn asshole!” Ryuji scowled, his voice full of rage. “What else did he do?!”

Mishima flinched and slowly turned around. His hands were at the sides of his arms, and he stood there, shaking his head. “I don’t know, I really don’t. But he was so mad that day… I don’t even know where to begin with what could’ve happened. Only one student is ever in his office with him at a time, so I— ah, Sakamoto wait!” Mishima picked his head up when he realized the blonde was walking away, all the while fuming. Akira didn’t even have time to try and grab the other’s wrist. With the frenzy that Ryuji was worked up into, there was no way.

“You have to stop him! He’s probably headed to the faculty office! Go!” Mishima called after him yet Akira was already bolting down the stairs, doing his best not to fall. He tracked the blonde to the PE faculty office, however he was too late and Ryuji had already intruded on the other. The two had already sparked a heated debate, and Akira could practically see steam with how pent up Ryuji was. His shoulders were tensed, and the look on the blonde’s face was nothing like Akira had seen so far.

“Like you have any evidence to back that up with, you’re just some petty kid who can’t even begin to understand.” Kamoshida crossed his arms, not even acknowledging Akira’s arrival.

“I understand that you’re physically abusing students!” Ryuji spat, nose scrunched up in pure unadulterated hatred.

“I’d like to see you try and get me arrested, what can a pipsqueak like you do?!” Kamoshida had the audacity to laugh, which made Ryuji slam his fist against the door. 

“That’s right. Nothing.” Now if you’re going to continue being this big of a pain in my ass. I might as well get rid of you.” Kamoshida looked up from Ryuji to Akira himself. “You too. Consider yourselves both expelled. On May 2nd there’s a board meeting, I’ll see to it that the both of you are gone from this school. Now get. Out. Of. Here.”

All the blood froze in Akira’s system, he stood there, with no words to say, no smart comeback. He froze like a deer in headlights. It was Ryuji who dragged him away from the office, Akira was so stunned. His mind was still trying to catch up with all that was happening. Though as he finally started to let everything process, it only steeled his resolve more, but this time there was added pressure. 

Kamoshida had to be put in jail by May 2nd. Justice had to come, and it had to come fast.

* * *

“I’m sorry man,” Ryuji started, staring at his hands as they walked out of the school building. “I didn’t mean to get you dragged into this… dammit all.” 

“Hey, we were in this together, and I’ll promise you now, we will not get expelled. I won’t let it happen.” Akira shook his head. He was thankful that Morgana didn’t come with him today, that would’ve been a whole other mess he didn’t want to clean. He was still reeling from the encounter with Kamoshida, his brain trying to find solutions that he couldn’t see.

“You got an idea of what we’re gonna do?” Ryuji sighed, “cause we’re kinda fucked right now.”

“We—” Akira was cut off as both of their names were called from behind them. 

“Sakamoto, Kurusu! Please wait!” When the transfer student turned around, his eyes widened slightly. Ann was running after them with a determined look in her eyes. When she reached them, she stopped a bit short, leaning over and putting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

 _‘Jesus, how long had this girl been running?’_ Akira pondered, almost concerned for her, from the looks of it she was at least running for a few blocks. 

“I hoped... I would catch you.” She said in between breaths, each word labored.

“Takamaki? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Suzui?” Ryuji beat him to the question, leaning forward with intrigue. Ann raised a finger for one more moment to regain herself. She straightened up, and with intense eyes and a calm inhale, she glanced between the two of them. 

“I was, but the nurses kicked me out, said I couldn’t be there anymore, it was some bullshit reason, to be honest. I tried to protest, but they said I should come back tomorrow.” Ann admitted, pulling at the sweatshirt under her uniform as if it was too hot. “I’m here to ask a favor of you two.”

“Shoot,” Akira was quick to respond. After all, what could she possibly want from them?

“Whatever it is you're planning, I don’t care, I want it. I want to see Kamoshida pay for all he’s done.” Ann’s eyes narrowed in a look of vengeance, her shoulders were heavy and she seemed too stressed and tired. He couldn’t blame her, not after everything that’s happened. Ryuji and Akira exchanged a look before Akira turned to her, his posture loosening up.

“Welcome to the team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did change the spacing of the fic, and edited previous chapters to look like this one. I didn't realize how spaced out-- and quite frankly-- necessarily long it was. But anyways, thank you for reading, the support I got for the story still astounds me, so thank you so much.


	4. thyre on m e but ggt the fles

When Akira opened the door to the cafe, the little bell chimed as Ryuji, Ann, and himself stepped inside. Sojiro looked up from wiping the counter, Akira offered him a wave and a small greeting. The cafe seemed to be pretty dead at this point in time, as there was no one occupying the counter or the booths.

“I brought some friends, I really hope you don’t mind,” Akira motioned to the two people behind him. As if on cue, Ryuji and Ann both waved to Sojiro. The cafe manager seemed shocked, blinking for a minute as if he couldn’t believe that Akira made some friends. ‘ _Asshole,_ ’ Akira could do perfectly fine, he could make friends. 

“Yeah, it’s no problem, as long as you guys don’t make a ruckus and drive away my business.” Sojiro leaned back and crossed his arms, watching as the three had ascended up the stairs into the attic that he had called a room. Akira hadn’t done too much more since he’s moved in, he did some more cleaning so the place actually looked more lived in. He got a couch, considering it was an on sale. He was glad he did, for this exact occasion. Bringing people over, the black-haired student began to feel self-conscious about his room, but it was too late now. He supposed he could always clean it more later.

When Akira reached the top, he flicked on the lights. Hearing the sudden noise, the black mass of fur on his bed stirred, and eventually Morgana’s head popped up, blue eyes staring intently at the visitors. Thank god Sojiro hadn’t found the cat yet, he really wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. More like he wasn’t looking forward to most definitely getting kicked out.

“This is… this is cozy?” Ann sounded physically pained when she said that, taking her bag off to sit on the couch. Akira himself plopped onto the edge of his bed, while Ryuji grabbed a chair from across the room, the one that went to the desk that was covered in things Akira had yet to move. ‘ _There was no more ‘he supposed he could clean’ anymore,_ ’ Akira made a mental note to himself. ‘ _This place needs major cleaning_.’

“It’s fine. You don’t have to lie,” the transfer student chuckled, scratching the top of Morgana’s head absentmindedly. The aforementioned cat stood up, hunching his back in a stretch while he yawned. ‘ _Damn cat, got to sleep all day, what a lucky bastard._ ’

“Gotta admit man, it’s pretty bad up here,” Ryuji looked around before he settled into the chair, slouching forward with his elbows on his knees. “Though it’s a pretty spacey room, ignoring all the junk lying around.”

“This isn’t a room, this is an attic impersonating a room but very badly,” Ann crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes still wandering the place.

“Okay I get it, I should’ve cleaned up more. To be fair, I’ve only been here a few days, I was planning on doing more cleaning, but with everything going on… you know,” Akira shrugged. “But we’re not here to talk about that.” That seemed to draw their attention in, as both of their faces grew serious.

“What do you guys already know? Well, aside from what I told you,” Ann tilted her head. The transfer student blinked, that’s right, they had yet to actually explain anything to her. When Akira turned to Ryuji to silently ask who should explain everything, the blonde placed a finger on his nose and Akira groaned.

“Are you seriously doing nose goes right now?” Despite his words, Akira had to muster up the resistance to not laugh. It was hard, considering Ryuji kept up the act. 

“Hey man, you know it better than me.”

Akira sighed then turned back to Ann, who waited patiently, or maybe it was because she was amused by the banter. He told her about Mishima, and how the school paid off his parents. How Kamoshida abused the volleyball team, and the school covered for everything he did. He also threw in the bit about their impending expulsion. He watched as Ann’s face contorted with hatred, her eyes becoming cold and venomous. It sent chills down his spine, to think the kind student sitting in front of him was capable of such a glare. 

“…And that’s all we know. We’re just trying to figure out how he can use the information,” Akira took a deep breath, his eyes shifted to Morgana who abandoned sitting by him to opt for Ann. The other took the new company well, immediately petting the cat as he laid down by her side. 

“Man, can’t we just do what they do in the movies and like… hack into the mainframe? Whatever it is they call it?” Ryuji groaned, putting his head in his hands for a brief moment. 

“Do you know how to do that?” Ann chided, giving the blonde a deadpan look. “Cause I don’t, I don’t think Akira does either.”

“No, but I’m betting one of us could learn? How hard can it be?” His voice sounded doubtful as he gave way into a sheepish smile. Ann kept her eyes trained on him, and quickly he fell apart. “Okay, I get it, we need a new plan.”

“We need _a_ plan, that wasn’t a plan to begin with, Sakamoto.” She huffed and crossed her arms.

Akira scratched at the nape of his neck in thought. The school was the one who had all the files, it would probably be in the district office too, which was separate from the school itself. Not many students go over there, which would make it conspicuous if they went there. Ann and Ryuji seemed to bicker about something in the back, but Akira broke it by speaking. “The only place we could get the information is the school’s district office. That’s where they would keep surveillance tapes.”

“Only one problem, we still can’t get to those,” Ann interjected, “we have to think of some way to get a hold of them. You know, other than doing all that hacking stuff.”

“Unless…” Ryuji’s voice trailed off, making the other two look at him with curious gazes. To be honest, Akira thought he was totally going to go for a joke rather than a genuine suggestion. “Unless we break in.”

Akira had to process what just came out of Ryuji’s mouth. Had he really just suggested they break into the district office to steal surveillance tapes? Apparently he heard right, because Ann had the same look of disbelief on her face. Akira didn’t know how to feel about Ryuji’s voice being so steady when he said that, especially because he himself wasn’t repulsed by the idea. It was reckless and ill-advised, and every logical cell of the transfer student told him no. It wasn’t even plausible— shouldn’t even be plausible— not for a bunch of high school students. 

“I think… you might be onto something.” Ann tapped her chin in thought, her gaze much more focused than before. “That’s… that’s most definitely a start.”

“Hey, I can be helpful,” Ryuji offered Ann a finger gun, however she didn’t smile or laugh.

“I’m sorry— how did we get here?” Akira held his hand out to stop the conversation. Was the idea that three sixteen-year-old teenagers break into their school’s district office really just suggested? He turned to Ann who looked completely serious about it and pointed at her. “I first off, least expected this from you.”

“I mean it just makes sense—”

“Breaking and entering makes sense to you? What’re your hobbies? Pickpocketing and arson?” Ryuji was quick to interject, his voice frivolous, turning to Akira as if to approve his line.

“Yes.” She replied with a hum, not missing a beat which made Ryuji double over wheezing. “But it just… think about it this way. You already have everything on the line right? Given the fact you’re on probation, and if you let Kamoshida do this, you’re gonna be in big trouble. We can’t just lounge around, I mean we might be the only people who can do something. Think of the pros and cons.”

“Con. We get found out and we all get charged and I go to jail,” Akira rubbed his jaw as his brain immediately generated a list of reasons. Despite the fact that the cons list was ugly and far too grievous, he still found himself not hating the idea. 

“Pro. The only way we get that information is by busting in. I mean come on, none of the faculty trust us. We’re all just…” Ann stopped her sentence short, her hands curling up into fists on top of her thighs. Her gaze was locked onto her own boots. She didn’t need to finish the sentence.

“Right.” Akira slowly nodded his head. He hated how this was making sense. It wasn’t supposed to. The more he mulled over it, the more it just seemed right. He was going to go to jail regardless. If he didn’t stop Kamoshida? Jail. If he got caught while they broke in? Jail. He might as well try and change his scenario, rather than just sitting and waiting for the outcome.

“Another pro. If we bust in we could do things our way, no need to worry about potential blackmail if we got some faculty member to do it,” Ryuji added and the black-haired teenager found himself agreeing.

The group processed it, exchanging their thoughts for a few moments, almost in a banter as the group was torn. It wasn’t a light-hearted decision to make. Not only were they just teenagers who could get into massive trouble, but their experience also came into play. None of them had ever exactly broken into anywhere before. 

“I’m in.” Akira’s voice was resolute, not a single trace of a wavering thought. He looked up abruptly, glancing between the other two, only to be met with sudden shock from the blonde male.

“For real?!” Ryuji shot straight up out of his chair and nearly knocked it over, eyes wide in disbelief. “I was just joking when I said it, did I actually just give us a plan?!”

“What other chance do we have, Ryuji? There’s no way we would be able to access any of that stuff without breaking in anyways. We might as well commit.” Akira immediately supplied his answer, and it almost seemed to soothe Ryuji’s outburst. 

“Breaking and entering, along with attempted robbery aren’t legal you know,” Ryuji reminded. Honestly, Akira was just surprised that it was Ryuji questioning the validity of the idea. “We may be doing the right thing, but it’s still punishable by law, I’m too young for jail. I know we just had all this big talk about the pros and the cons, but…”

All of a sudden Yu’s words were ringing in his head. A faint smile curved the transfer student’s lips as he looked down at the floor. His voice was quiet, he didn’t need to announce it proudly. “Not if we don’t get caught.”

There was silence as their eye contact bounced person to person. No one moved, no one objected. It was a silent unanimous decision. They were going to try and pull off some heist on the school. Well, heist was stretching it, it’s not like they were robbing money. It was just information, letting society have no option but to face the hideous truth it tried to desperately hide. He’d rip the mask right off Kamoshida’s face, and let the public see what he really was the entire time.

“…But really, how do we exactly go about making a foolproof heist?” Ann scratched her cheek in thought. “We are just teenagers after all, and unless those rumors about Kurusu are true, no one has experience.”

“Well, it obviously won’t be foolproof, but we have to be as cautious as we can. For now, we should probably get as close to the district office as possible, find whatever entrances there are.” Akira ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it for a second as he evaluated some of the factors.

“Independent research?” Ryuji gave an over-exaggerated shrug.

“Yeah right. I would like to see your nose in a book, Sakamoto,” She practically rolled her eyes through the tone in her words, and Akira didn’t miss the way that Ryuji grumbled in response.

“Hey as a side note… I mean since we’re all deciding that we’re having a heist together, wouldn't it just be easier to call each other by first names instead?” Ryuji asked and Akira took a sharp inhale. He never thought about Ann as Takamaki, he honestly didn’t understand how he could have royally fucked up that bad. At least… he didn’t call her by her first name to her face? No reason he could come up with would excuse the action, he felt the need to apologize. Yu totally would’ve chided him for this had he known. 

“What’s gotten into you?” She gave Akira a scant gaze before continuing. “I mean yeah, unless you regularly decide to break into places with people.”

“Oh! We should make a group chat too, easier to keep in touch that way.”

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves, let's focus on the task at hand, then we’ll make a group chat,” Akria redirected the conversation. “Have any of you been into the actual… uh, district office?”

“Nope, I hear students only go there if they’re getting expelled or some crap like that,” Ryuji absentmindedly tapped his foot on the floor. “So we can go there in about three weeks.” 

“Are there any students allowed in there at all?” Akira stood up, walking over to the plant in his room. He should probably get it some nutrients and water soon, even though it wasn’t his plant. 

“I see Niijima going there all the time,” Ann recalled, tapping her chin as she spoke. “Must be some student president business and whatnot.”

“Are any of you on good terms with her?” The transfer student raised an eyebrow, opting to remain standing. The look the two had on their faces was an answer enough for him. 

“Sorry, can’t say I’ve spoken to her much,” Ann’s expression almost seemed pained.

“She keeps as far away from me as possible,” Ryuji shrugged, “I don’t even know if we’ve exchanged any words.”

Akira started to pace, taking even steps as he walked back and forth. Running a hand through his hair, he allowed himself to delve into his thoughts. It was obvious Niijima was going to be key in getting into the office, considering the sideways glances the faculty would give him if he just showed up. There was no way he could go by himself, or with the other two for that matter. Then like some chain reaction, one idea lit up, and suddenly a whole plan assembled, each step falling into place. 

“What’s the chances I could get her to show me around?” Akira snapped his fingers once the idea formulated. Though the looks on the other two’s faces didn’t seem assured, which made the student’s own hope whither. “Is that a no then?”

“Not exactly, but she’s kinda…?” Ann’s voice trailed off. 

“Stingy?” Ryuji supplied.

“Not the word I would have used...”

“I’m the only one who has an excuse though,” Akira hesitated for a moment. “What if I just say I want to get involved with the school and what not?”

Ryuji gave a half-ass snort before addressing him. “She’ll probably just tell you to join a club.”

“I mean it’s worth a shot, maybe just ask her for a tour instead?” Ann proposed, “you’re really the only shot we got here. Neither of us has a reason to visit that office, especially because we’ve been going here for two years now.”

“I’ll ask her tomorrow then, we can’t afford to waste any time.” Akira took his phone out when it started to vibrate. A message from Yu. He’ll check it later. Though when his eyes glanced at the time, he looked back to the two others. “I hate to rush this, but it’s getting pretty late, shouldn’t you two head home?”

At the question both of them took out their phones, Ryuji bolting up, a hand flying to his hair as he stared at his phone in disbelief. “Shit! I told my mom I was gonna help her with something today too! I gotta scram, but we’ll talk more about this later, okay?”

“Definitely,” Ann confirmed, standing up herself and Morgana fell over, jolting awake. She gave him an apologetic pat. “We should probably exchange numbers.”

“Oh right!” Ryuji pulled his phone out and handed it to Ann who entered her number. Akira walked over to the two, as he manually entered her information into his own phone while she finished putting it in Ryuji’s. By the time the exchange was done, Akira had added her to a group chat with the three of them. 

“I should really head out, have a nice night,” She waved to the two of them before she descended down the stairs. Ryuji was quick to follow, and Akira could hear Sojiro conversing with the two of them for a brief moment. He shuddered thinking about what Sojiro might have asked them, he knew he wouldn’t say anything bad, but still. With a sigh the teenager once again took a seat on his bed; Morgana abandoned his spot on the couch in favor to sit next to him. His eyelids begged for sleep, and Akira was having a hard time refusing that. 

“Hey I’m gonna— is, is that a cat?” Sojiro suddenly interrupted the peace that Akira had to himself. The teenager pressed his lips into a thin line, glancing between the cat and the owner. “I’m assuming this is where all the milk is going to then, I thought it was odd considering the supply was going down yet you never seem to drink it.”

“…You’re not mad?” Akira was rather baffled, he was certain the cafe manager was going to at least have something to say. 

“Would’ve preferred you told me before you took it in, I’ve seen that cat around myself. I think it’s owner moved away or something.” Sojiro rubbed the back of his neck, “I would’ve been more upset if I hadn’t already fed it a couple of times. Does it have a name?”

“Morgana,” Akira responded as the cat suddenly looked to him. 

“Just letting you know, this sole responsibility is on you, so don’t expect me to go looking after this thing.”

“Understood,” Akira didn’t have the energy to give a sarcastic quip back.

“Anyways, I’m headed out for the night, be sure to close up.” Sojiro turned and headed back out, leaving Akira to the silence of the attic. Begrudgingly he got up and closed downstairs before heading to bed.

* * *

“Niijima!” Akira called out as he weaved through all the other third-year students that flooded the halls. Each one of them gave him a look of disdain when he brushed past. He could see Niijima walking beside some other student, as if they were going to attend some activity. He didn’t recognize the student she was with, they had short honey-colored hair that was fluffy and curly, seeming to be engaged in a rather lively conversation. That was until Akira shouted her name. 

“I swear I just heard— oh,” Niijima’s voice fell flat as she looked him up and down when he approached her. All three of them stepped to the side to allow other students better access to the halls. “You’re the transfer student, Kurusu, right? What can I do for you?”

“Oh, so you’re the new transfer student! I’ve heard quite a bit about you!” The student that remained by the upperclassman chirped. Her voice was rather gentle and smooth, and it matched how she presented herself. Niijima offered this student a glance, almost taken back at how friendly she was behaving to him. 

“I was wondering if there was any way I could get a tour of the district office tomorrow,” he started, using a ruse of genuine interest to enhance his words. “I just got here a few days ago and there’s still so much of the school I haven’t seen, especially that office.”

The council president’s eyes narrowed in scrutiny. She didn’t trust him, that much was obvious. She had no reason to believe anything he said, after all to her he was just as bad as each rumor said he was. Most likely Niijima had no intent to even talk to him at all during this school year. 

“Oooh! Hey, that sounds like a good idea! Didn’t you come from a small town?” The other student asked, her hands clasped behind her back as she lightly swayed. “It must be hard for you, suddenly coming to a big city like this.”

“Well yes, but Haru—” Niijima tried to interject the other, her eyes suddenly filling with panic. Most likely because this other student was erasing all of her reasons to decline Akira’s request. This worked out way better than he could’ve ever planned.

“Don’t you have some spare time after school, Makoto? We can always postpone our studying for later, besides a tour shouldn’t take that long!” The other student chirped once again, a smile curving her lips, then she deflated. “My father requested that I do something first anyways, so that should give me time to do it.”

Akira’s gaze just darted between the two of them, following their conversation. Niijima closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, she then politely folded her hands in front of her before addressing him. “I suppose I could give you a tour, aren’t you required to report there anyways at least once every month, something like that? You’re supposed to update the faculty with how you’re adjusting to the school.”

“That’s about right,” he shrugged in agreement, even though it wasn’t faculty he reported to every month, rather parole officers. Even then, it was Sojiro who reported to them. Unless… he did actually have to report to the board once a month. He should probably check on that.

“Then I’ll meet you tomorrow after school, in about this same spot. Now, I do have some obligations, if you’ll excuse me, Kurusu.” She bid him a civil farewell despite her obvious averseness to him. The student beside her offered him a wave and a smile before falling in step with Niijima, resuming their conversation from before. Akira turned around, digging his phone out as he made his way towards the front.

**New Group Chat || Ryuji, Ann**

**[You]:** We’re on bois

**[Ann]:** you got the tour???

**[Ryuji]:** NICE

**[Ryuji]:** now we just gotta uphold our end of the bargain

**[You]:** I got the tour, but just barely though

**[You]:** If it wasn’t for this one girl that was with Niijima, I don’t think I would have

**[Ann]:** either way just be thankful

**[You]:** I’m heading outside now, then we can go to Leblanc

**[Ryuji]:** take your devil cat back while you’re at it

**[Ryuji]:** hes been whining the whole time

* * *

When the three entered the cafe, Sojiro seemed less surprised about the company. He just offered the three of them a nod before they disappeared upstairs. Akira set his bag aside, Morgana crawling out and stretching against the attic floor, his claws extending out. With a yawn, the cat jumped onto his bed only to curl up and resume sleeping. 

“I see he lives a simple life,” Ann gave a light chuckle, it could almost have been missed. The small curvature of her lips, however, was blatantly visible. It was nice to see her smile, if only a little bit. 

“Tell me about it,” Akira rolled his eyes. He still couldn’t believe that the cat had practically wriggled his way into staying with the transfer student. It was almost nice to have the company. _Almost._ He didn’t appreciate it when Morgana slept on his face, or got cat hair all over his clothes. Akira dismissed the topic as they all assembled to talk about the finer details of their plan. Ryuji occupied the same chair as last time, however he sat on it reversely, resting his arms on the backrest. Ann claimed a spot on the couch, while Akira used a stool he had stolen from downstairs. It was tedious talking to them from his bed. 

“So about tomorrow, did you guys come up with an alibi?” Akira probed, though the mixed reaction wasn’t expected.

“No,” Ann stated firmly. 

“Yes.” Ryuji nodded his head in pride. “Hey, I thought we came up with a great plan!”

“We are not using Akira’s cat— listen, Ryuji said we should use Morgana as a distraction. I heard that there’s a interview after school, so all the teachers will be gone… and so Ryuji suggested if there was a cat we’d have ‘no choice’ but to contact Makoto.” Ann irritably explained, pinching the bridge of her nose the whole while. “I told him we can’t use your cat.”

“It’s a sound idea,” Ryuji mumbled, glancing off in a different direction. At the mention of his name, the cat’s head popped up and he responded with a small noise. 

“See? He doesn’t want to do it, leave the little baby alone!” Ann stood up, gesturing to the cat. Despite the tone in her voice, there was still that faintest hint of a smile. 

“I don’t know Ann, that sounded like a yes to me,” Ryuji chaffed, unable to hide the humor that festered.

“Akira, would you let your cat be subjected to such treatment?” Ann huffed, turning towards him suddenly. 

“Uhh, I mean he’s not getting hurt, so sure?” Akira turned back to the feline who glared at him with some look of betrayal as if he knew. “Look, he’s fine.”

“Ha! Two against one!” The blonde male cheered, accompanied by a fist pump. 

“I hope Morgana scratches you good one day,” Ann’s nose scrunched at his comment, crossing her arms as she fell back onto the seat. “Morgana, I hope you know it was these two buffoons that volunteered you for this, I tried.”

“So one of you will let Morgana loose in the school when I text you, and the other will rush in to get Niijima. Sounds good enough for me.”

“How will you find the room though, cause you know she won’t just let you leave. She's probably gonna find someone else to fetch you,” Ryuji added, scratching the back of his neck. “She’s probably paranoid just giving you a damn tour by itself.”

“That’s true… she would probably just assign another faculty member to escort you out…” Ann tapped her index finger against her chin. “You’re only gonna have a small window to actually find the room.”

“I’ll just have to gather as much information as possible on the tour, see which rooms she’s hesitant about,” Akira pushed his glasses up. He really didn’t have any other option but to hastily act. “I’m more concerned about you guys, I’d hate to feel Niijima’s wrath.”

“We’ll be fine dude, as long as Ann convinces her to actually leave,” Ryuji snickered to which Ann shot him a deadly glare. 

“Hey don’t put all the pressure on me. You’re gonna have to find Morgana after you set him loose.”

“How hard can it be?”

Ann rolled her eyes before dropping the topic. They switched gears and ironed out other details of their plan and other information they needed to gather. Such as whether or not the district office had a guard roaming around at night, which it probably did and that meant they had to know where the guard would be at. They lingered on the topic of what they were gonna wear for a while, since they couldn’t exactly just wear their school gear or normal clothes, but decided to wait on it. As they rotated topics, it came to them that they currently just knew too little to truly go into depth. As much as Akira wanted to set everything in place, there was nothing he could do about it in the given moment.

“One thing we’re going to need for sure is weapons, right?” Ryuji suddenly interjected, sitting straight up for once. 

“Woah! How violent do you think this is gonna get?” Ann stumbled over her words from the whiplash of his statement. “We’re just leaking some information in case that wasn’t clear.”

“No, I know, and I don’t mean real weapons, I mean fake ones! Just in case something happens, we need to have some sort of back up option to make them think we’re somewhat dangerous,” Ryuji explained, placing his chin on top of his folded arms. His foot tapped lightly against the floor, something the blonde seems to do quite often. He did have a point though.

“It’s true, if things go south we need to have something that can help us escape if authorities get called. Of course, the ideal plan is to not get caught, but things never go as perfectly as planned, so we can’t bank on the idea everything will go smoothly.” Akira ran his index finger along his jaw in thought. “Fake ones would go a long way. Obviously we’ll need something better than the plastic toys guns.”

“Okay— but where are we gonna get something like that? A fake gun that’s real enough to fool people?” Ann shifted in her seat, leaning forward as if she was more drawn into the conversation. “I don’t think that’s something you can just pick up.”

“I know a place, don’t worry,” Ryuji added in a self appraising tone. Ann’s face fell as she stared at the blonde male, blinking a few times before giving a sigh.

“Of course you would.” 

“Akira, how about we check it out this weekend— the shop I mean,” Ryuji clarified in the end and Akira pondered on it. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to pick up the model guns now, his only issue was funding. It wouldn’t shock him if they came with a hefty price. 

“Let’s do that, 10 am work for you?”

Ryuji pulled his phone out and Akira almost snorted. Since when did the blond suddenly have obligations? “Yeah, I’ll meet you at Shibuya station. Ann, wanna go, or should we just pick you up one?”

“I’m visiting Shiho that day,” She shook her head solemnly, her eyes brows knitted together. 

“How is she right now?” Akira’s tone completely shifted, his voice going soft. 

Ann shook her head, hands rested on her thighs, gripping at her red leggings. “Not well. Her physical condition is terrible right now. The doctors are saying she might never play volleyball again after she wakes up.

“She’s suffered so much, and even now…” Ann’s voice cracked. “That’s why I have to do this for her!”

“We’ll get back at Kamoshida, all of us. For everyone.” Ryuji promised.

* * *

_‘She’s prickly’_ Akira commented as he fell into step behind Makoto. Truth be told, he was quite terrified of her. She seemed angry with him no matter his attempts to placate her. He gave up and ended up just keeping quiet. They stopped in front of the door, and Makoto held up her student ID. It flashed green and there was clicking as the door unlocked. 

_‘This place needs a key card to get in,'_ Akira noted as he slipped through the door. He cleared his throat. “So, you mentioned how I report every month… would I just use my card to get in here?”

“Yes.” She stated flatly, not even bothering to turn to look at him. “But you should wait in the faculty office, someone will come to escort you from the main building. For whatever reason you may need to come here, your card will open the door.”

_‘Nice to know.'_ They abruptly stopped in what appeared to be the first floor of the district office. She held both hands out to the side, as if to gesture to the expansive— and rather luxurious, this school was holding out— room. There were hallways that branched off from the room, and Akira’s curiosity spiked. 

“If you would follow me,” she cleared her throat, and when he turned to where she was previously standing she was gone. Already waiting by one of the hallways. He coughed awkwardly and headed her direction. 

She showed him the rooms and halls on the first floor, a lot of them seemed very much copy and paste. There were storage rooms for the students, custodial closets, and honestly he wasn’t paying attention to most of it. The second floor wasn’t much different, it was just more faculty rooms. The board meeting area, the principal's office, all the like. 

When they reached the third floor, he found himself paying close attention to the plaques, Niijima’s voice mostly being drowned out. His eyes eventually landed on what read: technical room. He assumed that would probably be where all footage was. He drew closer to the open way of the threshold and peered inside. There were dozens of screens, each showing a different zone of the school: the gym where practice was going on, outside the main building, in some of the hallways by entrances. Akira took in as much detail as he could. Whoever was usually there obviously wasn’t.

“Kurusu, are you listening to me?” 

“Huh? Yeah! Sorry,” Akira lightly jogged forward to catch up with the older student. “A little sidetracked was all.”

“Okay, well any questions so far? We’re almost done.” She started but Akira offered her a nervous glance. 

“Where did you say the bathroom was again? I’m sorry, with all these rooms it's hard to remember.” He rubbed the back of his neck as she shot him a suspicious glare. Her judging eyes remained on him for a minute before she gave an exasperated sigh then pointed down a hallway. 

“There’s one down there.” He gave her a thankful nod and followed her direction. 

As soon as he got inside and closed the door, he pulled his phone out. 

**New Group Chat || Ryuji, Ann**

**[You]:** Mission ago. I’m on the 3rd floor. You need your ID to get in

**[Ryuji]:** lettin the cat out of the bag now

**[Ryuji]:** shujin, meet the latest monstrosity

**[Ryuji]:** some rando cat akira found in his bag

**[Ann]:** I’m coming up!!

When he put his phone away, he realized how awkward he truly felt. He hoped Ann would hurry it up, considering he was essentially just loitering in a bathroom. He rocked on his heels as he waited, and distantly he heard someone call for Niijima after a minute or so. The voice seemed hurried and the conversation was much too far to actually hear what had been said, but the longer it continued the more worried he grew. What if Makoto refused to budge? He chewed on the inside of his cheek until he felt his phone budge once more.

**[Ann]:** we’re good, leaving the building now, she’s grabbing a faculty member so hrry pls

He didn’t need to be told twice. The student slipped out of the bathroom and went straight to the technical room. It looked like no one was there still. He slipped inside and closed the door enough to just leave it ajar. Immediately he took his phone out and got a wide shot of the area, he could study it for final details later. Akira stepped closer to everything, eventually seeing the main computer that appeared to have the ability to flip through the cams. It was bound to have back up surveillance on it. 

As much as the transfer student wanted to fiddle with things, he needed to refrain from actually touching surfaces. Getting a better look, he tried to memorize as much of it as possible. Then his eyes landed on an ID card, whoever was in here was careless enough to leave it behind.

Akira reached over and pocketed it. If they came back to actually take the footage, they would need to use something else other than their own ID’s to get in. In case the system logged who used it in the night. As soon as he pocketed it, he turned around and nudged the door open with his shoe and slipped out. The student walked down the hall, running straight into a faculty member. Probably the one who was sent to get him out of here.

“You must be Kurusu, Niijima had some sudden business to attend to, so I’m here to escort you out.”

“Oh thank you!” Akira offered the faculty member a smile. “That would be much appreciated.”

* * *

It had been a week since Akira had managed to get into the faculty building and make off with the key card. That meant they only had one more week before the board meeting. One more week to expose Kamoshida for everything he had done. To say the pressure on the student’s shoulders was overbearing and ever-growing was an understatement. It constantly loomed over him, sometimes keeping him awake, his paranoia gnawing at his mind in the early morning. 

“Okay, so this is what you gotta do,” Ryuji’s voice broke Akira’s concentration. 

They were currently trying to teach themselves how to scale a fence. After getting the tour, the three had scoped the school out at night, and everywhere was blocked off and of course, the main gate was closed. Not to mention the security guard that wandered the perimeter. Though usually he was just stationary, considering there were cameras everywhere that he wasn’t. The only place that came close to learning how to do that was Hanegi park, and luckily enough for them, it was relatively quiet. 

It was a nice park and an even nicer neighborhood. The place was essentially a play structure. There was an area that had walls, twisting and turning as if it were a labyrinth. One side of the walls painted a teal and the other a yellow, and while they were low— much lower than the perimeter around the school— it was a place to start. There were also other places around the park they could advance to once they got the feeling for these walls. Given that they were only 140 cm in height. It came up to mid-chest for him, and even lower on some other areas of the maze.

“Don’t act like you know how to scale a fence,” Ann chided, but there was a hint of humor to her voice. She has managed to come out a bit more, and while she was still worried, she wasn’t where she was last week. Barely smiling, almost falling asleep in class, it was nice to see her getting up again.

“I do too!”

“Yeah, probably a chain-linked fence! Which has holes for footing! Try a cement wall, calling it a fence is an insult,” she grumbled, her head rolling back as she pouted. “Why do we have to scale the cement wall?! It's a wall! Can’t we just use the gate.”

“I would use the gate in a heartbeat, but the gates cause too much noise. We need everything we can get to be in our favor,” Akira shook his head. “We’re going to have to learn to climb that wall. That’s not gonna be too much of an issue if you remember it's got the hedge thing in front. So the height between the top of the wall and us is smaller.”

“I hate that you’re right,” Ann tapped the top of her sneakers onto the cement. “Doesn’t mean I want to do it.”

“And that’s why we’re practicing, we started small and now it’s time for the big guns. We all need to be able to scale that fence. Besides, you don’t need to master it, we just need to be able to do it.” Ryuji added.

“Wall. Stop calling it a fence.” Ann corrected, but then her face turned to a mixture of anxiousness and disgust. She glanced at the wall in front of her, it was just under her shoulders. Akira offered her one last glance before shrugging. 

Ryuji backed up from where he stood. He paused for a moment before taking off into a run at the wall. He placed his hands at the top of the obtrusion, using his momentum to pass over the top with ease. Akira was a bit taken back, he honestly forgot how fit the other actually was until it came to moments like these. 

“Show off. These walls are nothing for you.” Ann scrunched her nose. “Let’s just get this over with.”

They started with some simple things, such as just being able to pull themselves over the wall to begin with, given that it was short. Ann grew more comfortable the more she tried it, and after a few climbs she stopped complaining about it. When they could pull themselves over the wall, they changed it to the running approach. It all felt so familiar, like the moments just before gymnastic meets or the days he spent perfecting routines. At the same time, it was more raw than being in a gym, more driven by instinct than a rehearsed routine. It was less regimented than gymnastics was, allowing him for more free movement. It wasn’t about impressing someone and earning a ten, it was about the practicality of the moves and how it would benefit him.

And it was addicting. 

As they were taking a water break, Ann wordlessly put her beverage down. She walked back to the walls, taking a deep breath and shaking her arms out. Starting back aways she gave a running start to the wall, and with much more comfort than earlier she mimicked Ryuji. Her hands lightly met the top and she popped herself up. Her hips were parallel to the surface, allowing her to practically glide over the top. As soon as her feet touched the floor, a wide smile lit her face up. 

“I did it!” She cheered, “did you just see that?! I did that!” She pointed to the wall in which she managed to scale. 

“Yeah! You effing did!” Ryuji offered her a thumbs up and Akira clapped as Ann excitedly tapped her feet on the ground. “We got one more though, if you’re comfortable, we can always try again tomorrow.”

“No, let’s do this thing! No way you’re stopping me now!” 

Akira laughed as they collected their water bottles. He wiped his head with his forearm, huffing to retrieve his breath. It reminded him of how out of shape he was, even with the short time he’s spent away from gymnastics. The slight wind felt nice, even though it wasn’t that cold out it felt chillier due to how worked up he had gotten. They talked idly as they walked to wherever the next wall was. When they came to stand in front of it, Ann’s previous energy disappeared. 

“Nope, I take it back, Ryuji can you even climb this thing?” Ann immediately shook her head, rapidly waving her arms in front of herself. 

“Hell no, not yet anyway,” he scratched the back of his head nervously. “We probably should call it quits, you might be really sore tomorrow. Look, I’ll try and learn somethings ‘bout the big wall.”

Ann let her torso hang, arms dangling towards the ground. “Oh thank god, I’m exhausted… let’s… let’s call it quits tonight.”

“Akira, do you think you could scale that thing?” Ryuji nodded his head in the direction of the wall as if Akira couldn’t see it.

He looked at the structure and scoffed. “I’m a gymnast, not— not a fucking spider.”

The other two stared at him silently before they burst into a laughing fit, Ryuji coming over to sling an arm around him, which made the transfer student stumble. He soon joined them, their laughs filling the empty silence of the park as they left.

“That’s…” Ann started, out of breath as she laid on the ground. “That’s not easy…”

* * *

They had been trying to attempt an actual wall climb for at least an hour now. They had found a rather secluded spot, away from the eyes of people and out of the way for pedestrians. Starting with some of the basics. Apparently Ryuji had read up on wall climbing, but knowing how and being able to were very different things. He had them try some things out and gave them some basics, however they had yet to climb the full thing.

But if they couldn’t even scale the perimeter then they wouldn’t even be able to get the tapes. It’s been a couple of days since they got the hang of jumping the smaller walls, leaving them only with a few more days to get Kamoshida arrested. The pressure was truly starting to eat at Akira and there were very few things that actually soothed him. 

“You’re literally almost there Ann, you just gotta drive up more,” Ryuji offered his hand to the other, and she took it. He helped her to her feet and she took a deep inhale. 

“Akira, you do it, then I will,” she egged him on, looking at the wall as if it had done her an injustice. 

“If we can scale this then we most definitely do the one at the school,” Ryuji concluded. Though it was easy for him to say, he already managed to haul himself over once, and Akira almost did a double-take when he saw it. Not to mention it got the blonde really amped up. “Might as well give it a shot.”

_‘I guess it makes no difference now or later, I need to do this,’_ Akira’s eyes went from the bottom to the top of the wall. _‘But it doesn’t change the fact this is literally insane.’_

Akira backed, calming himself for a moment before he took off. Using his foot and a knee drive, he propelled himself upwards. Everything around the teenager was drowned out as he grabbed the ledge. It was rough, but using his feet and arms he managed his way to the top. He sat on the ledge and looked down at Ann and Ryuji. 

“Fuck that…” he wheezed, resting his elbows on his legs. His thighs hollered with tension as Akira leaned back, closing his eyes. It wasn’t painful, if anything it was almost rewarding. He just did a wall run. _He just did a wall run._ “Yeah, fuck that.”

“Holy shit you did it!” Ryuji praised, mouth agape in bewilderment. “Gotta be honest, I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

Akira flipped him off. His gaze shifted to Ann who gave a few claps for him, placing a hand on her hip. She called up to him, a blithe smile stretching her lips. “Alright hotshot, I can’t attempt it if your fat ass is in the way!”

“Give me like… five minutes.” Despite saying that, Akira shifted his body and allowed himself to come down from the wall. He stumbled on the landing, falling onto his butt and taking Ann’s place on the ground. “I think I cracked my ass.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be?” Ryuji cackled. 

They each gave the wall a few more tries, but each time their strength rapidly dwindled. The second time he tried he didn’t make it up. The first time Ann tried, she managed to get her torso up then promptly gave up, letting her legs dangle for a second before she pulled them up. With each attempt he grew more confident, and gained some speed in actually getting up the wall. It was definitely taxing. He had no clue how long they were at it, but the sun hadn’t even set yet even though it felt like an eternity. It was Akira who suggested they head back, and they had gotten a good distance away from the park before they started talking. 

“So about… Kamoshida…” she struggled on the name as if she was going to choke on it, walking in step with Ryuji and himself. “We have five days left, are we sure our plan is gonna work?”

They had drafted and finished a plan. Tomorrow they were going to send a warning. Ryuji said to call it a calling card, but Ann’s nose scrunched when he said it. Though Ryuji already had the cards ready to go. Then they were going to steal the tapes, or some of them anyway. They managed to get some dates out of Mishima so they wouldn’t have to search. Reluctantly they gave up on the bank records. There was no way to access them, the volleyball practice evidence would have to be enough. 

“It’s got to, we have no other choice,” Akira shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts. 

* * *

He had to admit, Ryuji had some style. While the card was a little overboard, it did what they had planned. The whole day it had students gossiping about it, most of them shocked about it all. They spared no expense into telling the public what Kamoshida really did when no one was looking. Kamoshida was absolutely enraged when he saw it, and Akira could practically see the steam coming off the man. Served him right. Once he saw Akira and Ryuji, he demanded if it was them who posted the card but they denied the accusation.

All of it was signed by the Phantom Thieves.

Even when Akira was in class he could hear the scared whispers circulate the room. The rustle of paper as students passed notes. They definitely managed to stir the general public up.

**New Group Chat || Ryuji, Ann**

**[Ryuji]:** holy shit you guys literally everyone is talking about it

**[Ann]:** what did you write to make everyone react this way?

Akira snorted as he read the messages, pressing a curled hand to his mouth to suppress it. Of course she didn’t read the card.

**[Ryuji]:** you didn’t read it??

**[Ryuji]:** im feeling pretty betrayed right now

**[Ryuji]:** my bro akira read it

**[You]:** You bet your ass I read it

**[Ryuji]:** thanks bro

**[You]:** Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to fucking read it.

**[Ann]:** ^^^

**_Ann Takamaki liked a message_ **

**[Ryuji]** : wow

**[Ryuji]:** that’s hurtful Takamaki

**[Ann]:** ❤❤❤

* * *

By the end of the day, the information on the card had reached the ears of everyone. Either that or they were questioning who these supposed Phantom Thieves were. Kamoshida was even brought into the main office and likely sent home, as they announced volleyball practice would be canceled that day. The three of them left the school building and went straight to Leblanc. 

“Did I do amazing or what?” Ryuji took a few bounds in front of the other two, holding his arms out as if he was ready to accept appraisal. “Everyone was talking about it! Even when they managed to take all of the cards down!”

“You did something alright,” Akira teased, making Ryuji stop and hunch over, arms dangling uselessly. Ann snickered to Akira’s right as they passed the other’s still figure. Though the blonde only let them get a few paces ahead before jogging up to restore his spot.

“How’re you staying so calm about this?” Ann whispered from her end of the group, her hand tightly clutching the strap of her bag.

_‘Me? Ann, I am constantly screaming and reminding myself that what I am going to do is breaking more than one law.’_ Akira mentally responded, keeping his gaze completely in front of him. He gave her a shrug of his shoulders. “I just am.” 

“Glad at least one of us can stay calm, I’ve had the nervous jitters all day.” Ryuji quipped, scratching the back of his neck. “Even going to the bathroom didn’t make me feel better.”

“Didn’t need to hear that part,” Ann groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

* * *

The time had flown by, and before Akira knew it he was sneaking out of Leblanc in the dead of night. He met up with Ann and Ryuji at a designated spot. They had left Leblanc earlier to get prepared themselves, no doubt mentally more than physically. He dropped a duffel bag he had carried on the way here, pulling out all of the dark-colored sweatshirts and sweatpants. They had picked these up earlier in the week, sometime before they had started climbing the walls. They had also bought ski masks, wearing them in traditional burglar-esque style. It was stupid. Stupidly efficient too. 

“Everybody remember what to do?” He asked, trying to shake away his own nerves. It was a futile attempt, as his brain had long been sent into overdrive.

“If we didn’t we wouldn’t be here.” Ann crossed her arms over her chest, completely engulfed in the large sweatshirt. It was almost comical, and Akira probably would have laughed had it not been for the scenario. 

“There’s no turning back from here. This is it.”

“This is it,” Ryuji nodded giving him a thumbs up which Akira almost had a hard time distinguishing. It was so dark here, and their clothes hid their figures extremely well. Akira took a shaky breath, running on pure adrenaline.

“Let’s go then.” They avoided any security cameras in the area and stuck closer to the unlit parts of the street. They needed to get by the guard at the gate and refrain from stepping into view of any of the security cameras, as they figured out earlier the cameras snapped pictures of anything that moved.

He took a shaky breath, turning to Ann and Ryuji who remained across from him, their obnubilate figures blending together. All he saw were two pairs of eyes that even when in the poor lighting, he could see the resolute intent in them. Akira turned his gaze back to the guard, who stood perfectly tall, eyes piercing into the dead streets. No one drove these roads at this time, there was no reason to. His heart hammered away at his ribcage, and he became a lot more aware of everything around him. He couldn’t allow himself to dwell in the nervousness. He— they— had to keep going. They’ve come this far.

They were currently positioned across the street from the school. Though they couldn’t just cross just anywhere around the school, there was a narrow area where they would be undetected by the cameras. But it just so happened to be within the guard’s range of vision. There was no way they would’ve been able to get by had they just made a run for it. 

Akira could feel the intensity that Ryuji was staring at him with, and with one final deep breath, he gave a nod towards the blonde who took out a tiny remote. He pressed a button, and even from where they stood, Akira could hear the brutally loud noises go off. It was just a bunch of conflicting sounds, a speaker they had hidden by a trashcan nearby that sounded like rummaging and something being knocked over. The guard flinched, turning on his flashlight he turned his head. 

“Who’s there?” It was almost farcical how much like a video game this was. 

Akira wasn’t going to complain, as the guard left his post, walking to the other end of the street to investigate the sudden noise. They only had a few moments to do this. The three of them bolted from their spot. Making slightly off to the left of where the guard stood post. He sacrificed staying low for speed, allowing himself to do a full sprint.

He bounded up onto the protruding bed of bushes, traveling on the side that was cement. From there it was a practiced movement. Akira planted his foot upwards on the barrier and drove himself forward. He pulled himself up onto the taller part of the wall, sliding over the top of the cement and then dropping down. He still stumbled, and he jolted as he definitely could’ve landed better. Before he could even turn around, Ryuji had followed suit, landing right next to him just as Ann slid over the top. When she landed, Ryuji turned off the noise and it was abruptly quiet once more, no evidence it ever had happened.

“What the hell?” It was the guard most definitely. 

“For the record,” Ann paused and huffed for a moment, regaining her breath, looking at Akira and Ryuji, “that doesn’t get easier.”

“Only gotta do it one more time,” Ryuji cheered in a hushed tone.

“Talk later, tapes first.” Akira interrupted, nodding his head towards the building. He patted his pockets down to make sure he still had the essentials. They both nodded and made their way up the steps, drifting to the right as they entered the open corridor that went down the center of the school. In the day, this was bustling with students, clubs, and faculty. It was the loudest part of the school and Akira tended to avoid it at all costs. There was an odd charm to it when it was darkened and empty. Now it felt like the corridor was so much longer than it was in reality. No matter how much they crept forward, the end seemed to be the same distance away. 

_‘Focus,’_ he reminded himself, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Even though pulling himself over the wall didn’t compare to anything else he’d done, Akira felt short of breath. His muscles ached with a foreign type of burn, it wasn’t a soreness, it almost felt like fatigue. With a few deep breaths, the teenager did his best to calm himself down. 

The faculty office was strange, it was a part of the school but at the same time, it wasn’t. All they needed to do was to get to the back door, the one that the faculty often used after they parked their car. It would’ve saved them so much time approaching from the parking lot, but the place was loaded with security cameras. They were bound to get caught from that direction. When they rounded to the actual faculty section of the school, they stayed low, edging their way to the back door. When they were sheltered by indent of the door tucked into the building it was only when they stood tall again. The transfer student sucked in a sharp breath as he reached into a side pocket and swiped the ID, the beady red light turned green. Only then Akira felt like he could breathe again. 

Quietly he pushed open the door, holding it open as Ryuji and Ann slipped inside. He made sure the door shut as quietly as possible. They erred on the side of caution, sticking closer to the walls and making their steps as light. The first floor. They needed the third. With a rehearsed routine, Akira trailed through the hallways, suddenly holding a hand up and ducking into a nearby branch. A camera with a bright red light that broke the complete darkness stared down the vacuous hall. Akira pressed his back to the wall, his finger tapping against it with a feather touch. They had figured out the cameras in the building had patterns, and shifted their focus. They just needed to wait.

_‘One, two, three,’_ the silence was suffocating him, each second that went by instilled a doubt that Akira needed to fend off. He continued to mentally count. _‘...Thirteen. Bingo.’_

He broke away from the hall and dashed past the camera which now faced the opposite direction, the other two following closely behind. They slowed when they came to a door, another place that required ID. He once again dug out the card and held it to the sensor. It lit green and immediately the three of them were making their way up the stairs. He prayed he would never have to break into the school again, knowing that after this the school would definitely increase their security. Every inch of Akira’s body felt light, as if he wasn’t weighed down by anything. He was so much more hyper-aware and shaky, yet at the same time, it felt like the eye of a storm. Still and calm. Every part of him screamed and begged for him to turn around, to leave, to get the hell out. His palms were sweating in his gloves, his mind raced with so many thoughts, his heart hammered in his chest, yet there was an addicting rush to the feeling. A reckless euphoria he hasn’t ever been able to match.

The closer they got to the third floor, the louder Akira could hear a beating in his ears. Each step went by quickly. One. Two. Three. He practically counted them as he made his way up, passing by the second-floor sign that pointed to the steel door. Akira gritted his teeth as they ascended the last bit of stairs. 

This was really it.

He held up a hand once more and the group stopped at the end of one hall. He could practically hear the eye roll from Ryuji, who no doubt was growing impatient. Akira could almost visualize this area as if it was the day Makoto was leading him down. Now it was eerily quiet. The lights were all off, and the only sound was that of dress shoes hitting polished floors, resonating through the empty hallway. The student pressed himself against the wall, swallowing before he mocked the courage to lean enough to peak. He saw a formal figure retreating down the hall, a flashlight on in a sweeping motion. 

He motioned for Ryuji and Ann to continue ahead, and they crossed the opening as Akira kept his eyes trained on the guard. As the guard was walking away, a noise came from his figure. It must’ve been through some walky-talky. 

“There’s something odd that happened on the corner a little while ago. It was probably nothing, but did you see anything on the cams?”

“I haven’t seen anything on any of the cams, nothing in particular anyways.” The man’s voice was gruff and very much exhausted. He must’ve just been saying that so he didn’t have to go back and check. “It was probably a raccoon.”

Akira’s breath stilled as he listened to the conversation. They barely missed that one. When the guard was no longer in sight, Akira still remained there. Only when the shoes trudging on the floor stopped and the closure of a door did he get up. The teenager promptly made his way to the security room. 

“About time you got in here, been waiting for ages,” she teased in a monotone voice, too concentrated. Ann already had a flash drive plugged into the main computer as the dozens of screens in front of her showed various angles of the school. Akira’s eyes scanned over all the monitors, detailing the one where he saw the security guard from moments ago pass by. “One of the cameras actually caught us, but I deleted it. Or I hope I did anyway.”

“Good. I would’ve been here quicker, but that guard outside was more attentive than we thought. He actually called up,” Akira complained, crossing his arms over his chest. The ski mask was really starting to itch and feel gross. He felt like he was overheating, but he couldn’t afford to take anything off. “He’s on the second floor, we don’t have much time. We need to hurry.”

“Which ones are they gonna be? The log shows me all of these, but I don’t know…” Ann’s eyes desperately scanned the screen in front of her. 

“Well, we just need as many as we can. Can we take them all?” Ryuji leaned over her shoulder. 

“That stick won’t carry all of the video files.” Akira reached back into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. “April 13th, April 17th, April 18th, April 20th, and April 23rd. Grab them all.” 

“You got it, cap,” Ryuji responded, despite not actually being the one who transferred all the files. “Damn, the thing says it’s gonna take at least fifteen minutes, I thought you said you got a fast stick?”

Akira paled. “I got what I _thought_ was a fast stick.”

Ann glanced up to look at the monitors, then to Akira. “He’s still going over the second floor, and he needs to go over the first one as well. But is that—”

“Enough time? No.” Akira groaned as he tried to think. He closed his eyes in thought as he tried to reign his senses in. “Judging with how careless he was, we’re not going to have enough time.”

“So... you’re saying we need a distraction?” Ryuji’s voice was much too confident for Akira’s liking.

“No.” He denied, and Ryuji deflated. 

“You didn’t hear me out!” 

“This isn’t the time to be arguing, what are we doing?” Ann glanced between them and the progress bar as if that would speed the process up. 

“Fine. What’re you thinking?” Akira gestured to Ryuji, who even though he wore a dumb ski mask, he could still tell he was smiling.

“My speakers are still down there, I don’t think they’ve found it out yet,” Ryuji shifted his weight, his hands in his pockets. “I could easily go down there and mess with that one guard. Maybe he’ll call his buddy there.”

Akira played with the idea. It was certainly something. Much better than the current zero other ideas.

“Akira he’s reaching the first floor,” Ann warned, a nervousness breaking her voice. “We’re not even halfway yet.”

_‘Shit, this isn’t how I wanted this to go.’_ Akira bit his bottom lip, focusing on the computer screen. He pressed a gloved palm to his mouth as he tampered with the possibilities. “Go.”

“For real?! I won’t let you down, keep your phone on!” Ryuji shot him a finger gun. 

“Hey.” Akira’s voice held a stentorian tone as his eyes became serious. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

“What’s more reckless than breaking into your high school?” Ryuji said in a hushed whisper before he turned and ran out the door. Akira sighed and neared Ann, eyes staring intently at the progress bar. 15 minutes couldn’t be over fast enough. As the minutes passed excruciatingly slow, they stood in silence as the transfer student made sure to use the screens to their advantage. He saw Ryuji run past a few, and Akira paled as Ryuji ran right into the security guard. Luckily the guard was turned around, not even able to see Ryuji before the masked blond darted off into a hallway to find the stairs. He rammed into the door and disappeared from the monitors. 

The student’s blood ran cold and he couldn’t help biting down on his tongue. The guard obviously chased after the blonde, and the more Ryuji stayed away from cameras the more anxious he grew.

**[Ryuji]:** uhhh bad news, the gy se

**[Ryuji]:** thyre on m e but ggt the fles

_‘God fucking damnit I can fucking see that,’_ Akira swore to himself. Was Ryuji seriously running and attempting to type? There was really no point in responding. “Ann we really gotta get a move on before they scope out here.”

“Yeah well, tell that to the computer,” her eyes remained trained on the screen. It was just above 80%. “Ryuji is such a fucking dumb ass, but he’s buying us time.”

From one of the cameras, Akira saw Ryuji exiting the building, running and headed for the nearest wall of the perimeter. All the while the security guard tailed after him, though unable to keep up. The blonde was able to get over the obtusion and then the cameras lost track of him again. Though Akira’s anxiety spiked when the man leaned into his communication device and started to jog back to the building. 

“That’s not good,” Ann said for him. They were just about 90% done. “Hurry you dumb thing!” 

Akira’s eyes flickered from the screens to the computer. The security guard was probably coming back here to alert the authorities. His heart started to race again in his chest as the transfer student got ready to run. The guard was now on the first floor. They were at 95%. He reached the stairs and quickly jogged up them. His eyes nervously flickered back, 97%. The second floor now, pace growing faster. 99%. The third floor. 100%.

Ann ejected the drive and they raced out of the room, ducking into a side hallway. They pressed close to the wall, and Akira squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of shoes grew louder, and louder. The guard seemed panicked, and walked right by the hall they occupied. As soon as he was past, Akira ripped himself from the spot and made a dash for it and Ann followed suit. They had no time to worry about cameras anymore. They needed to get the hell out. One of the cameras moved out of the corner of his eye, and Akira knew it had seen him. 

The student flew past it and practically rammed himself into the door of the stairwell, skipping steps as he descended. His breathing became labored as both him and Ann did their best to get the hell out of there. When they reached the bottom, they slammed open the last door and much like Ryuji, made their way to the wall. 

“Hey, you there! Stop!” A voice from behind them demanded. It was the other guard, the one by the gate, there was no doubt in his mind. 

_‘Fuck fuck fuck fuckfuckfu— this side of the wall is taller!’_ Akira begged his legs to run faster, and somehow it seemed like it worked. He practically launched himself over the wall, running on sheer adrenaline. He couldn’t even feel anything at the moment. He helped pull Ann up, and together they slid off the backside. They stumbled when they landed. A loud thud and Akira winced. That was so going to hurt tomorrow. Ann was already running, and Akira took after her example. 

He had no idea how far they ran or how long they ran for, but when they were back in their spot where they agreed to meet up, Akira pushed his back up against a brick wall. He wheezed as reality finally caught up to them, his eyes wide with a shock. They really just did that. They just. Ran away. From security. He ripped off the mask, taking a loud gasp as it felt like he could finally breathe again. Taking out his phone he texted Ryuji, he didn't have the energy to care about grammar. His hands were shaking too much.

**[You]:** pls tell me ur ok

**[Ryuji]:** [attachment_003271128]

**[Ryuji]:** I lived bitch

**[You]:** where tf r u

“Wow…” a voice spoke from some direction that Akira honestly couldn’t identify. Everything was spinning. Everything ached too. “You guys… look like shit. No wonder Akira can’t fucking spell right now.”

“Says the guy who looks like he ate shit…” Ann heaved, leaning forward against a wall, using her forearms to stabilize her. She was right, Ryuji was more messed up than the both of them combined. There were a bunch of things that clung to the clothes he sported. Were they… leaves?

“Funny story, I fell into the bushes, and uh… thorns hurt pretty fuckin’ bad.” Ryuji winced as he picked— what Akira presumed— was thorns. He flicked whatever it was onto the ground before taking his mask off. 

“Hold on shut up for a minute,” Akira demanded, picking his head up. In the distance he could hear it. The shrill of sirens. They weren’t out of the woods yet. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Akira leaned over and picked up a bag they had stashed here prior. It felt gross now, wet from the dampened ground but it would have to do. He unzipped his sweatshirt and threw it in, as well as the mask. He emptied his pockets and put the items to the side.

“I never want to see these again,” Ann’s voice sounded more steady as she shoved her mask and jacket in as well. 

“Agreed.”

“The night isn’t done yet. Let’s get back to Leblanc. We still gotta get this up, and until then we’re still not done.”

“Right.”

Despite feeling like his head was pounding, on the brink of exploding. That his legs might split open, or that a single gust of wind could blow him away, Akira was addicted to the rush. There was nothing like it, the only thing that came close was competitions. He physically felt dead and just wanted to curl up and sleep for twenty— if not a million— years. 

But he’s never felt more alive.

* * *

Akira rubbed his eyes. He barely got any sleep last night, it was a pain in the ass trying to get the video up and everywhere. They sent it to news stations, the police department, posted it on every discussion board of the Shujin page, practically anywhere that catered to a lot of people. Especially any place that took tips anonymously. He had a hard time remembering all of it. They were all extremely exhausted, but they couldn’t wait. 

When he moped downstairs, the cafe was quiet except for the sound of dishes being clattered around. Blearily Akira turned towards the muted TV and nearly choked when he read the headlines.

_Tapes found reveal Shujin teacher and Olympic medalist abusing volleyball team. He has yet to be taken into custody._

He rubbed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them he was just imagining it. The headline stayed the same and Akira’s heart sunk. After everything, they’re still hesitating to take him into custody? He scrunched his nose, what else could they do that would get him behind bars? His concentration broke as his phone jingled and vibrated on the counter.

**New Group Chat || Ryuji, Ann**

**[Ryuji]:** do you guys see the news???

**[Ann]:** yes and I hate it.

**[Ann]:** the evidence is obvious!! Why haven’t they taken him in???

**_Ryuji and Ann are typing…_ **

**[You]:** They most definitely will, but just not as soon as we’d like

**[You]:** Even though they have the tapes they’re probably trying to find out more information about it

**[You]:** Regardless if the whole mass media knows— which they do—

**[You]:** It's going to take way too long for them to take him in

**[Ryuji]:** if he doesnt get taken in soon everything will be for nothing I mean?? The most we wouldve done is just prolong our own expulsion and everyones suffering

**[Ann]:** there has to be something we can do? What about the bank records

**[You]:** We can’t access them, none of us have the capability to get to them

**[Ryuji]:** what’s the way to speed this up

**[You]:** He would have to admit to all his crimes for them to take him in on the spot

**[Ann]:** and how would we get that to happen

Akira chewed the inside of his cheek, the idea they were pondering on was risky. Far too risky. But they had already broken into the school and somehow they weren’t in jail themselves yet. Might as well go all the way. 

**[You]:** How good are you guys at interrogating? 

* * *

They didn’t plan to break into his place. Truly, this wasn’t on Akira’s agenda when he moved to the city. Then again neither was robbery and breaking and entering, along with illegally obtaining information— the list could go on. The bastard really left them no choice. The authorities hadn’t arrested Kamoshida, and all that happened was that Kamoshida was secluded away. Like hell the three of them were going to let him go free. 

He deserved the justice that was coming. 

They had devised a plan earlier this morning, and even though it had some holes, they had no choice but to act. Thanks to Ann, they were actually able to find his place and get his number. The store that Ryuji mentioned came in handy, and all three of them scraped up funds. They bought a couple of model guns, a burner phone, and a voice modulator for the phone. Which explains why Akira was here, using his pasmo card to unlock the door. He slid the card between the crack of the door and the wall, meticulously trying to find the right spot.

“Akira, hurry the fuck up,” Ann bit as she kept her eyes trained on the wall. He went to bite back a reply, but the door unlatched, giving the transfer student the ability to push it open. 

“Way to go, my man,” Ryuji praised as Akira pushed the door open. 

“Let's hurry and get everything set up. Go,” Akira stepped aside as the other two burst in. Once they were inside, they closed the door as if nothing happened. They quickly got to work setting things up. Ann rushed around to find the fuse box, switching everything off so the apartment sat in darkness. Ryuji was on guard by the door, to stop him if he tried to get out and to keep him still, while Akira picked a room that was far enough away where he couldn’t actually be heard by Kamoshida but over the phone. 

**[Ryuji]:** he’s here

Akira took a deep breath as he heard the scuffle go down. The voices were muffled, but he could hear the panic. The only thing Akira could do was wait for the signal. He drummed his fingers against his arm as he waited, and as soon as he heard Ryuji’s domineering voice he took the phone out and called the only number saved on the phone.

The other line picked up, but stayed silent for a moment. “…Hello?”

“I’m only going to say this once,” Akira prayed that the voice box worked. Judging by how eerily silent the other voice was, he could guess it was. “You have been let off and covered for. You’ve stepped on countless to rise to your station. It needs to end, now.” Akira put force behind his words, rather than volume.

“Are you the Phantom Thieves, then? Is this guy out here a buddy of yours?” Kamoshida asked, and Akira could hear the labored breaths and panic rising in his voice. Whatever Ryuji was doing out there, it was working. Honestly, Akira didn’t even know how all of this was working, but he wasn’t complaining.

“You’re not in a position to be asking questions,” Akira snipped. “You’re going to do what I say, and maybe you can get out of this mess you insisted on digging. We warned you. We told you.”

“What do you want from me?! I don’t know who you people are! What warnings are you talking about?!” Kamoshida snapped, voice growing aggravated. Though as much as the other tried, it didn’t mask trepidation in his voice. 

“The Phantom Thieves. That calling card was ours. Everyone is done with you stepping on them. Ruling over everything as if this was your castle. Your time is done.” Akira prided himself in knowing the three of them actually managed to back Kamoshida into a corner. “Unless you deny that you abuse your students? That you bribe them to keep quiet with money?”

“I did do it— but, but I wasn’t just the only one involved!” Kamoshida was almost pleading. “Please don’t kill me— please, I’ll do anything. I can give you money, you want money!?”

“You’re despicable. Will you shut the hell up?! Justice cannot be bought. You have failed, and it is time you collect your penance.” Akira barked into the phone, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “You’re going to keep me on the line, and you’re going to turn yourself in.”

“What— you can’t possibly—” Kamoshida interrupted, stumbling over every word. What Akira would give to see him panic. Granted, Akira was shaking in his own shoes, his hands clammy and his forehead felt damp. He couldn’t wait to get out of here.

“You either turn yourself in, or I tip this call to the police. I wonder what they’ll do hearing you admit to your crimes,” it was a bluff. He didn’t have the call recorded, but Kamoshida took the bait. The other line went silent for a minute, and Kamoshida then yelped before sounds of scrambling came through. “I will ask only once more, and then you’re at the whim of my accomplice. Turn. Yourself. In. Then forget you saw us.”

Kamoshida remained silent. 

“I won’t ask again,” Akira pressured.

“Okay! Okay… you win… please just don’t kill me,” Kamoshida set the phone down and did what he was ordered to do. Akira could hear as the teacher called himself in to the cops, sparing them no detail as he confirmed that the videos were true. Akira let out a shaky breath, in disbelief that they actually managed to convince him.

**[Ryuji]:** come out hes done we gotta go

Akira hung up the call and pocketed the device, slipping out and meeting up with Ann. When they got to Ryuji, he had the model gun lowered and he was staring at a mass on the floor. It was Kamoshida, on his knees, hands buried in his hair. 

“I should’ve known that eventually, everything would fall down…” Kamoshida weakly chuckled, before looking up at them. “No words from the victor, then?” 

Akira only narrowed his eyes at the pathetic sight. He’s getting what he deserved, he had no pity for this man. 

“The medal. Take it. I won’t need it where I’m going…” Kamoshida pointed to a wall, wherein a glass frame the medal rested.

Akira hesitated, but before he could stop him, Ryuji took the frame, and using the edge of the table he smashed the glass and took the medal. The transfer student glared at the blonde, who only offered him a shrug and gestured to Kamoshida. The teacher made no attempt to move, he remained still on the floor and Akira wondered if he was crying. 

Ann tugged him out of his dazed state. She was right, they had to go and be out of the area before the authorities showed up. The three of them bolted out the door and took to the streets of Shibuya.

* * *

“Holy shit! Holy effing shit!” Ryuji threw his arms up as he rapidly paced Akira’s room, a toothy grin stretching his cheeks. The fact he censored the f-word and not the word shit made Akira laugh. “Oh my god! We just effing did that!”

“Will you shut up?! We’re in an attic, not a room with privacy walls!” Akira harshly reminded, but despite that his voice was 

Ann wiped the tears that were at the corner of her eyes, a laugh bubbling out from her mouth. She sniffed, “I literally don’t know why… I’m crying.”

“They’re happy tears because we just fucking did that!” Ryuji’s voice grew louder, and even though it was directed at Ann, he shook Akira by the shoulders. “And who said kids can’t make a difference?! _Wooooooo!_ ”

Akira smacked the other on the shoulder. “Attic! Remember! _Attic_!”

“I’m sorry, man. But it’s just—” Ryuji paused as he made grabbing motions with his hands, despite only grasping air. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt this good— this _alive_ — about anything.”

“Do you think it’s on the news by now?” Ann interrupted as the welling of tears stopped. She was probably just so overwhelmed, not to mention they had just come down from a massive adrenaline spike. This wasn’t just some adrenaline rush from climbing a wall, this was from breaking and entering and making someone turn themselves in. Akira could still feel his blood pounding. 

“It might be, we could go downstairs and check, I’m sure Boss has it on the news anyways.” Akira shrugged, turning to head downstairs. 

Much like they predicted, the news station was talking about the arrest. However, it was a little different this time, as there was another headline on the TV.

_Kamoshida admits to all crimes committed. Further evidence was leaked of cover-ups from Shujin with bank records._

Akira gasped, giving the TV a bewildered look. They didn’t leak the bank records, and he could tell the other two were thinking the same thing. They all exchanged befuddled glances before the news anchor started to speak about the case. 

“Today has been a shocking day for Tokyo, as Japan’s own Olympic medalist turned himself in after videos were leaked from Shujin security cameras. To talk further in-depth about this case, we have a special guest. The Ace Detective assigned to this case Goro Akechi!” The camera panned out as a person who couldn’t be out of high school yet walked onto the set. He donned a button-up that had a blue sweater vest over the top. Akira didn’t think he'd seen this guy before.

“Who’s the pretentious prick in the sweater?” He mumbled as he rested his head into the palm of his hand, elbow propped on the tabletop. 

“Ugh, I know right? I see his ugly ass face everywhere,” Ryuji groaned. Akira turned just in time to see the blonde plant his forehead to the counter surface with a thud. 

“I didn’t say he was ugly,” Akira remarked, an amused tone in his voice before turning back towards the TV. ‘ _In fact, quite the opposite.’_

“Thanks for having me. Not much is known about the case at this given moment, but I’m sure all of you are eager for answers,” The detective offered the camera a smile and Akira noted how flattering he looked. “From what we know right now, the people who leaked the video and broke into Shujin last night was a group known as the Phantom Thieves. Or that’s what they’d like to call themselves anyways. They sent out some warning to the public that morning.”

“What would you refer to them as, Akechi?” The news reporter inquired, leaning over to the detective. Akechi hummed for a moment before answering the question without even a change in tone. 

“Just another group of juvenile criminals. Their means of execution is sloppy at best, and they will be caught soon. They may believe they are fighting for a just cause, but it cannot be justice if they think they are above the law. We have reasons to believe Kamoshida didn’t turn himself in of his own accord, seeing as there are phone records and evidence of a scuffle,” Akechi explained, gesturing with his hands with a certain fealty about him. Akira hated it. 

_‘I take it back, he’s not cute anymore.’_ Akira quipped as he was drawn into the program.

“But what about the bank records? Surely if they were just juvenile criminals like you claim, they wouldn’t have been able to get a hold of those records, correct?” Once again the news reporter interjected. 

“Nothing is confirmed yet, but I don’t think the Phantom Thieves were the ones to leak that information. They simply lack the necessary means to be able to do so.” Akechi responded, never losing the amicable tone in his voice.

“Someone must have pissed in his pancakes,” Ryuji commented from behind Akira. 

“Ryuji, shhh, I’m watching,” Ann reminded as she leaned past the blonde to get a better look at the TV.

The news carried on for a while, the anchor asking the detective questions to which the detective would always have answers. He never once hesitated, and it proved how quick-witted he was, as he couldn’t have planned any of them. The program eventually ended, leaving the three students on the edge of their seats. 

“What an asshole,” Ryuji said as he shrugged his purple coat on. “I mean I think the Phantom Thieves did the right thing.”

“Either way, there seems to be no changing his opinion,” Ann sighed as the two migrated for the door. “Tell Boss thanks for letting us crash here for a while.”

“Will do, have a nice night you guys,” Akira waved as the two of them exited the cafe. 

As soon as he could, Akira collapsed into his bed. All he truly wanted was to get some major sleep. He found himself laying on his side, processing the day as he stared at his soulmate mark. He allowed himself to relax, thinking about what it would be like to actually meet his soulmate. What they were possibly going to be like. He couldn’t help the soft smile that came to his cheeks when he read the words. 

He launched straight up, hands entangling in his hair as Morgana gave him an estranged and unimpressed look. His mind was reeling as the answer to the puzzle he’s been trying to solve for literal years fell into his lap. 

_‘I’m the Phantom Thief?!’_

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did change the amount of chapters cause this work is longer than anticipated;;; but thank you for sticking with me this long!! I love hearing what you guys think of this ~~very self-indulgent~~ AU! Thank you to everyone who left comments and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Speak of the devil and she shall appear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **ATTENTION!!** There will be no update on Monday, May 18th. I'm sorry for the delay! Rest assured this were be a promised update on **June 1st**!

_‘Who the hell is this guy?’_ Akira surveyed the man on the stage. There was nothing particularly interesting about him. Despite that, he could hear some of the students leering over the man. The group of girls next to him discreetly twittered, constantly shooshing one another as if the whole vicinity hadn’t already heard them.

“I’m Takuto Maruki, and I’d like to start off with a thank you for welcoming me to this school,” the man started. Akira found it hard to keep listening to him, especially when the mic screeched in retaliation when the man bumped his head in an attempt to bow in greeting. Akira violently flinched to cover his ears for relief.

With a pained and embarrassed expression, the stranger continued on. “I will be your counselor for this year.”

“We should’ve had one from the very beginning,” Ann muttered from beside Akira, shifting her weight to lean over and pet Morgana’s head. Her tone changed to cloying as she pet the cat. “Mona could just be our counselor, isn’t that right?”

“Pff, yeah right,” Ryuji scoffed, “could you imagine walking into the counselor’s office just for there to be some cat? ‘Doc, I think I have some serious issues’ and Morgana just gives some half-ass meow and you gotta slide over some fatty tuna as payment.”

“You just rant about your day and he sits in your lap, and by the time you’re finished talking he’s already asleep,” Akira added with a mirthful smile.

“Shh! Dr. Maruki is still talking, you know!” One of the girls from the group reprimanded, noses crinkled in disbelief… or was it disgust? When she turned her back to them Ryuji snickered. 

“Hypocrites— ow! Hey, Ann, that was my foot!” Ryuji harshly whispered, giving the accused an offended glare. She simply threw him a peace sign. When Ryuji turned to him, Akira immediately wiped the smile off his face. Though the other must have caught it, cause his expression fell flat as he lifted up his middle finger.

The principal took control of the assembly and dismissed the students after some closing words. The three of them did their best to make it out before the stampede of students. Akira would rather not have death come to him from being trampled by thirsty teenagers out for the counselor. 

“Man, can you believe that?” Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck as they walked, slouching forward in his usual posture.

“There’s no shame in having a counselor, but knowing Shujin? This is all a publicity stunt,” Akira spat in annoyance. Morgana poked his head up and meowed, making the student gesture to the cat. “Exactly Morgana. See, this cat knows what’s up.”

“Hey, I stand by my idea. Counselor Morgana—” Ann suddenly gasped, leaving the two boys confused. Akira gave her a look and then using his hands in a sweeping motion he tried to prompt her to continue. “Mona Mondays! Too tired and stressed from studying? How about just petting a cat for an hour! God! We should make an advertisement.”

“Ah yes, pay me money to film my cat,” Akira flatly replied, lolling his head to the side.

“Isn’t that what cat cafes are for?” Ryuji tilted his head.

“No. But we could just turn Leblanc into a cat cafe.” Ann huffed, placing both her hands on her hips.

“I’ll talk to Boss.”

“For real?! How disappointing would that be, cat cafe with one cat,” Ryuji snickered. 

Akira found himself joining in his friend’s echo of laughter. He hoisted his bag to keep the straps from falling off his shoulder. A disgruntled meow came from behind him and Akira apologized by reaching up to give the feline a quick scratch. While doing so the student made a mistake of glancing around, catching eye contact with the recently appointed counselor. 

_‘Shit’_ Akira froze on the spot. Maruki started to walk over. _‘Ah fuck.’_

The counselor approached with a warm smile, yet despite the cordiality that radiated off of him, Akira was on edge. He could figure out what the man was going to say, and Akira was already generating dejections.

_‘I’m sorry, for my sad life story you’re going to need at least a rank four friendship.’_

_‘Sorry sir, I’ve signed my life away to arson and thievery. Anything I say to you can and will be used against me in the court of law.’_

_‘Akira Kurusu is unavailable, please try again later. Or don’t.’_

_‘I’d love to let the cat out of the bag, but unfortunately, my cat stays in my bag at all times.’_

“Hello! I do believe I recognize the three of you,” the faculty remained amicable even as he spoke. “If I’m correct, you’re Takamaki, Sakamoto, and…”

He suddenly turned to Akira. “That must make you Kurusu.”

“Yup.” The student popped the p, ditching all of his declinations. He’ll store those for some other time. Well, maybe just the first one.

“Would any of you by chance be interested in a counseling session? Since we’re here and all, it would be easier to schedule one now, would it not?” Maruki chimed, eyes creasing with a smile. The three merely exchanged glances, and Ryuji immediately went on the defensive, his hostility to the faculty coming out. 

“I’m good,” he huffed, turning away from the counselor. The man flinched and Akira almost wondered if the other was nervous. It seemed to be that way.

“Thank you, but I’ll pass,” Ann gently shook her head, stark contrast to Ryuji’s immediate put-down.

“And how about you?” He seemed hopeful. “Did I fail to mention I have snacks for the students?”

Akira hummed suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. “…What kind?”

“Well, primarily fruits, some granola bars, gummies, and juice boxes—” Maruki listed.

“Done.” Akira shrugged. 

“Hey! Don’t give in so easily!” Ann whined while Ryuji shouted.

“For real?! Dude come on!”

“You’re quite the jokester, aren’t you Kurusu?” Maruki chuckled. Akira indulged the idea. 

“I try to be ominous, but I’ll settle for a jokester.” He quipped. _‘Anything is better than a murderer.’_

The counselor thanked Akira, though he wasn’t sure what for. He rambled on about how in truth the school wanted to give counseling to students who were involved with Kamoshida, much to the three’s dismay. He followed up about he didn’t want to make it mandatory. After that, Ryuji had practically stomped off down the hallway, and Ann followed suit if only to get the blonde. Before he left Akira told Maruki he’d stop by when he found free time. 

As he jogged away he wondered when he was next free. Considering that the Phantom Thieves demanded most of his time.

* * *

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Akira heard from his right as he started to pack up. Class was over and he planned to meet up with Ann and Ryuji on the roof. Ann had taken off, saying she’ll meet them up there before she bolted out of the room. When he looked over, he saw Mishima nervously standing there, eyes trained on the ground. 

It’s been a few days since Kamoshida’s arrest, and ever since then, things have somewhat calmed down. They had their midterms, which made Akira nervously sweat. They decided to remain the Phantom Thieves over a celebratory outing, which was only possible because they pawned off the medal. They even managed to place an order for suits that should be coming relatively soon. She placed them after demanding what Akira wanted. He gave a nervous answer of black and red and she hopped off to make a call. Apparently Akira was making a hobby out of robberies and other nefarious actions. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Akira flatly declared, giving the other an unimpressed glance. He held his bag up to his desk and Morgana crawled inside. 

“Don’t play dumb with me. You ask me for specific dates, then all of a sudden—” Mishima’s eyes widened as Akira brought a finger to his own mouth. The other student hesitated on his words. 

“We don’t need anyone overhearing, so. No. I am not whoever you think I am.” Akira smiled, offering Mishima a covert wink. “Perchance, could it have been a rumor you overheard?” 

“Hmm, now that you mention it, it could’ve been,” Mishima took a couple of steps back to lean against the desk across from Akira. “Well, either way, I thought I would do something cool for those local thieves. Not that you would know anything about them.”

“Of course not. I only know what the news says, some disingenuous ciphers who are hell-bent on wreaking havoc.” Okay, maybe he was over-exaggerating the mass media hate, but it was fun. Mishima downplayed his amusement and pulled his phone out, swiping a couple of times and then handing it to him. Gingerly he took the device and Akira’s eyes widened as he looked at the screen.

It was a well put together website that detailed the first Phantom Thieves ‘excursion’ as the site put it. There were polls talking about whether or not the Phantom Thieves were just, and an article detailing the event. There was even a section where people posted about local problems. Though going through some of them, Akira wasn’t sure how many of them were falsified. Could Mishima technically get in trouble for making a site about criminals?

“Wow,” Akira was taken back by how fast the other— he assumed it was Mishima who made the site— got the website up. “I’m rather impressed.”

Akira handed the phone back to its owner, and the other student pocketed it. “I know it’s not much, but I hope it helps you in some way.”

“I think you’ve helped us more than you know,” Akira offered, which seemed to uplift Mishima.

“Then I’m glad!” 

Akira offered the other a smile before he took his cat bag and headed up to the roof. He was sure by now that the others were waiting for him.

* * *

They lucked out today. It said there was rain in the forecast, yet the sun shone brightly on busy city streets. Though the light was deceptive, as it had no emphasis on heat. Thanks to the lack of weather effects, the three of them managed to secure their usual spot on the roof, sitting on the conglomerate pile of desks and chairs. They’ve been searching for a new target for a while now.

“There’s nothing good coming up on the radars!” Ryuji groaned, hands tangled up in his hair. “There’s all of this small stuff, but nothing good!”

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to find a big hit like we want,” Ann mumbled into the palm of her hand. “You finding anything, Akira?”

“Nope, but we shouldn’t be trying to hit the big ones, we need more experience. We just happened to luck out with… you know what,” Akira sighed. He rolled his head back and forth, rubbing a hand on his neck as he tried to soothe the aching. He should probably stop hunching over. The teenager opened his eyes when he felt his phone vibrate, eyes diverting to the screen.

**1 message from Alibaba**

Akira blinked a few times. _‘Who the hell is Alibaba? I don’t know… an Alibaba, and if I did I would certainly remember that name.’_ Akira commented to himself. Curiosity drove him to open the message, and as his eyes skimmed over the text alarm bells started to blare in his head. He felt a sudden rush of dread form, churning within his core.

**[Alibaba]:** I know you’re a Phantom Thief.

“Akira, what is it, man? You look like you’re about to hurl,” Ryuji interjected, coming to sit beside the Akira, who stared blankly at his screen. Ryuji’s eyes dropped to the screen, and he stilled as well. As if both of them had been touched by some unknown force making them freeze. 

**[Alibaba]:** I am Alibaba. I was the one to leak the Shujin records and I can prove it. 

**[Alibaba]:** [attachment_7223186900]

**[Alibaba]:** I need your help. I can’t give you all the details right this second. I suppose my assistance with your cause will be enough for you to assist me.

**[Alibaba]:** You’re the only one I can trust with this. 

The transfer student sucked in a breath as he stared at the incoming messages. Quite the introduction the stranger has made. 

**[You]:** You barely know me.

**[Alibaba]:** I know enough about you, Akira Kurusu.

**[Alibaba]:** I don’t want a response right now. I’ll check back with you in a few days. Then I want an answer. Think about it.

“What the hell man…?” Ryuji whispered with disbelief.

“What?” Ann scooted by Akira’s other side, leaning in to see. “What’s got you guys so— oh. Oh no…”

**[You]:** What do you need?

**[Alibaba]:** Someone has something of mine, wrongfully so. Authorities won’t bother. I want it back. You fight for justice, do you not?

**[You]:** Assuming it can’t be obtained through legal means then?

**[Alibaba]:** You’re an interesting person. Most people wouldn’t react like this you know.

**[Alibaba]:** I’ll be in touch, Kurusu.

**You can no longer send direct messages to Alibaba.**

Akira only snapped out of his daze when he felt his phone falling out of his hands and towards the ground. He juggled with it for a few moments, trying to catch it. He gave a sigh of relief when it was safely back in his grasp. When he unlocked his screen to find the conversation, it was gone.

“What the hell?!” Akira frantically stood up, scrolling through his phone. It was nowhere to be found. There was no way he could’ve imagined it either. “The conversation is gone!”

“Do… do you think they’re just someone playing a prank?” Ann hesitantly tried, but it sounded like she didn’t even believe her own words. 

“I don’t know, Ann. Sounds like this dude really knows what they’re talking about,” Ryuji winced, a pained look on his face. “Especially since they really did reach Akira without knowing him apparently. Dude… you don’t think this guy— person is gonna leak your identity right?”

There it was again, the twinge of panic rising in his chest. He tried his best to reply with a hopeful tone, however diluted it may be, overpowered by dread. “If they do I’m toast. But… they didn’t say anything about leaking my identity?”

“Can we take what they say at face value? I mean what even is this deal anyways? It was so vague,” Ann piped, “we don’t even know if this truly is justice.”

“From the looks of it though, Alleybada—” Ryuji started, getting up from the transfer student’s side

“Alibaba,” Akira corrected the blonde, and Ann pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a choked laugh.

“Yeah okay, whatever their name is, they seem like they need some genuine help.” Ryuji gestured to the phone which was now off, not a single sign of the conversation. 

“They did manage to put together that whole bank record for the authorities,” Akira sighed, bringing his phone up and pressing the tip to his forehead. “I guess that’s got to count for something. Regardless, they said they would give us a few days to contemplate it. We’ll talk about it later.”

* * *

It’s been three days since Alibaba’s proposal. It’s taken them three days to even come relatively close to an answer. Every previous conversation just left them as confused, if not even more so than when they began.

Trusting Alibaba was giving blind faith to a stranger.

“Well, are we at an understanding then?” Akira inquired, drying a coffee cup as Ann and Ryuji sat at the bar. Boss had left to get groceries and asked Akira to hold down the shop. Which in the transfer student’s opinion was a terrible idea. Though he said it wouldn’t take long, and likely no one was to come in considering the torrential downpour outside. 

The two blondes originally came over to discuss further about Alibaba. They pondered back and forth, wondering if they should trust someone who they hadn’t even spoken to for more than ten minutes. They knew— they hoped— Alibaba wasn’t going to leak their identities regardless of whether or not that they took the job.

“I mean, they did say that the authorities wouldn’t help them,” Ann leaned into her hand, the other one tapping away at the counter with manicured nails. “Which means they have no one else to turn to….”

_Just like us_ went unsaid. 

The air was stagnant, Akira staring at the cup he was repeatedly drying, the surface reflecting the lights of the cafe. There was a bitter taste on the teen’s tongue, and it wasn’t the Jamaican Blue Mountain that was now cold on the counter.

“We can’t turn a blind eye,” Ryuji’s voice was muffled, as he rested his forehead on the edge of the counter. “It wouldn’t feel right, rejecting them and knowing they could be in some serious trouble.”

“Then the next time they contact us, we’ll accept the—” Akira abruptly stopped, heading swiveling to the door at the jingle of the bell. “Oh, hey Boss, welcome back.”

Sojiro sighed, making his way around the counter with a big paper bag in one hand and umbrella in the other. “I’m still confused where you got the name Boss from.”

“I mean that’s what you are, aren’t you?” Akira quipped, setting the cup back. He tapped a finger each time he rattled off a task he finished. “Anything else you need help with? I wiped the tables down, finished up the dishes, and reorganized the beans.” 

“I’m actually rather impressed. Nah, you’re free to go, you got friends over after all. Didn’t break any cups did you?” Sojiro conspicuously turned to him, eyes narrowed in a silent accusation.

“Just one,” Akira jeered as he untied the apron and hung it up. When Sojiro glared at him he immediately threw his hands in front of him in defense. “Joking of course.”

He heard Ann and Ryuji both snicker from their spots. 

“You better be, I’ll know otherwise.”

Akira motioned for the other two, though Ann had to shove Ryuji out the chair. When they were in the terrible confines of the attic only then did they resume their conversation about Alibaba.

“How do you contact him though,” Ryuji scratched at the side of his face. “I mean the dude shut off communications, didn’t he?”

“They did say they would come to us…” Akira stared at the screen of his phone as if that would give him an answer. 

“How long will that be though?” Ann supplied the question that was lingering in the air. “For all we know, Alibaba could’ve found other people to help, especially if it was urgent.”

Akira flipped his glasses to rest upon his head so he could rub his eyes for a moment. It didn’t chase away the weight of sleep that poised insistently on him. At this point, he was believing the fatigue was imprinted into his bones and he was doomed to want sleep eternally. He groaned when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, taking out he offered the pop up an askance gaze.

**1 message from Alibaba**

“Oh, well, never mind I guess, here they are,” Akira said too cooly given the situation. 

“Damn! You think they got spyware on your phone?” Ryuji got up and immediately took a seat by Akira, leaning on his shoulder to watch.

“Alibaba, I don’t mind if you go through my phone, but tell me if my cat is cute.” Akira couldn’t tell if he was joking or not as he pulled open the message.

Ann sighed, abandoning the couch in favor of the other open spot. “Of course you two could joke about this.”

**[Alibaba]:** Have you made a decision?

“There’s no going back after this,” Akira’s grip tightened on his phone, pulse quickening. “Are you guys in?”

“Absolutely,” Ann chirped.

“Can’t leave my bro hanging!” Ryuji slapped his shoulder, making him lurch forward suddenly, glasses flying off onto the floor. Akira offered the blond a glare out of the corner of his eye before retrieving them. Luckily they weren’t broke, but even if they were it wasn’t a big deal. They were fake anyway. 

**[You]:** We agree to your terms.

**[Alibaba]:** Thank you, Phantom Thieves. I knew it was wise to trust you.

**[Alibaba]:** As I stated before, something was taken from me. I want it back. 

**[Alibaba]:** [attachment_0003183758]

**[You]:** And why can’t you retrieve it yourself?

**[Alibaba]:** Because I’m not a skilled thief that can get into places. 

Akira scoffed. They weren’t skilled, they were lucky. They were just teenagers.

**[You]:** Well, where do we need to break into?

**[Alibaba]:** [attachment_96184109481]

He nearly dropped his phone. The place Alibaba had sent to them wasn’t anything like breaking into a school. The attachment was a picture of a warehouse, seemingly still under construction given the scaffolding that surrounded it. Certainly, it wasn’t abandoned and it wasn’t a task that could be solved with a pasmo card and some fake guns. What skills did Alibaba think they had?

Ann swallowed nervously as she looked at the picture. “That’s some higher-end place…”

“A place like that has to be crawling with security.” Why did Ryuji sound even more excited? While Akira knew it was a terrible way to look at it— this place was good practice. If they could even get through the front door. 

**[Alibaba]:** You’ve been silent for a while. I hope you’re not thinking of backing out. 

**[You]:** Of course not, I’m just wondering what this place is. There’s no name associated with the building it looks like. 

**[Alibaba]:** Sharp eye. Cause there is none. I’ll explain later, and I know it’s asking a lot but can you get that black box for me?

**[Alibaba]:** I’ll even navigate you through. That way it’ll be easier for you and the rest of the thieves. 

Akira blinked. He never even thought about Alibaba assisting them. If what they said was true, then breaking in and navigating a place would be a lot easier.

**[You]:** Nav would definitely be helpful. Gotta say though, can we get any more information out of you? What is this place like? 

**[Alibaba]:** I will admit, this is quite a big jump from your school, but if we team up I’m certain the PTs can grab what I requested.

**[Alibaba]:** As for motivation…?

Alibaba gave them a brief run down, and it read like it was passed through several filters before it was sent. Extremely diluted, almost vague. Though even though it was filtered, it was enough to make Akira want to take action. 

**[Alibaba]:** Thank you, Phantom Thieves.

**[Alibaba]:** Though… we gotta do something about your gear.

**[You]:** We have new suits coming if you’re also annoyed by the sweatshirt and sweatpants

**[Alibaba]:** Not what I was talking about, but good.

**[Alibaba]:** How would you like a tech upgrade?

* * *

“Holy shit… they weren’t kidding,” Akira breathed out as they approached the warehouse. From a distance it certainly didn’t seem like much, in fact he almost missed it until Alibaba pinged him and told him to suddenly turn. The apparent hacker had warned them to not investigate the place, however, the three found themselves compelled to. They said it would give their nerves some ease if they at least saw the place before they broke in. In five days time, they planned on infiltrating this place, and Akira couldn’t help but notice they were very much unprepared.

“You’re telling me, this place is gigantic. There’s no way we’re getting inside to snoop around.” Ann harshly whispered. She shook her head and crossed her arms, suspiciously glancing from left to right as if on the lookout. 

The warehouse in question was assumed on the outside but it was large and towered over the view of the perimeter that surrounded it. Akira could only imagine what was inside the slate steel walls. He wondered if there was anything aside from the box they could nab. These people were bad after all, right? 

Some of it looked like there was still construction going on, as from the side of the building Akira could see scaffolding. He could see it coming up from off the roof too. Jesus— what was this place? Who’d it belong to? Why would a warehouse need this much remodeling and protection?

There were so many questions he had, and he doubted Alibaba had the ability to answer them.

“At least this time the fence is lower—” Ryuji started, only for Ann to cover his mouth with a palm.

“They. Are. Walls. Ew!” Ann recoiled sharply, offering the now smug blonde a disgusted look. “Ryuji Sakamoto, did you just lick my hand?”

“—the only problem is that it’s got barb wire at the top. Gotta be careful about that shit,” Ryuji finished, gesturing to the aforementioned cable. Not even entertaining the notion of responding to Ann’s question. The blonde female swatted at his arm, making Ryuji try to back away from her.

“Or we can just go through that wide car entrance over there,” Akira turned and pointed to the entrance. It had one of the lifting rails that prevented cars from just waltzing in, but that wouldn’t be a problem. He hoped it wouldn’t anyway.

As if it wasn’t a big deal, the student turned and walked towards the direction of the big entrance. He could make out the figure of a guard sitting in the booth that guarded the entrance. As long as they stayed quiet, Akira didn’t see any reason why they couldn’t use this area to sneak it. Before Akira could get to close a ping went off on his phone.

**[Alibaba]:** Don’t get too close. That guard will be alerted if you get any closer. Pressure sensitivity plates and whatnot.

**[Alibaba]:** However the night you sneak in, I can turn it off. But that is not today.

**[You]:** Thanks for the heads up, we’ll fall back now. We’ve seen enough. 

“Well, I guess this is quite literally as close as we get…” Akira muttered, looking up from his device. “Let’s turn back for now. There’s nothing else we can do.”

* * *

He had no clue how long it usually took to make tech, but Alibaba was on it apparently. Earlier this morning— while he was in class— his phone pinged from the hacker telling him that the gear was ready. Akira honestly thought that the hacker was messing with him. As soon as school was over he was practically dragged around the city by Alibaba.

Which was why… he was waiting in an alleyway somewhere.

**[Alibaba]:** Now just wait here.

**[You]:** I can’t help but feel like I’m waiting to be murdered here.

Akira looked around the alleyway. It was shady as hell and it made Akira’s skin crawl. He had no protection here, he was just a sitting duck. Ultimately trusting Alibaba like this could be his downfall. Though regardless he was here anyway.

Alibaba stuck true to their word, and with some money, the hacker had placed an order for better gear. Though it couldn’t be shipped or picked up at just any store. Which was why he was here. Standing alone. In an alleyway. Famous last moments.

**[You]:** Why did it have to be an alley?

**[Alibaba]:** Must you keep complaining? I didn’t choose the meetup location.

“Excuse me, are you Alibaba?” A gruff voice interrupted the student, startling him into nearly dropping his phone. The man was wearing a filter mask and some sunglasses, despite the dark alleyway. 

“Yes,” Akira stated firmly. Forcefully a package was shoved into his hands. It was relatively small and Akira didn’t know why, but he was expecting something more grandiose. Wordlessly the man took off and disappeared down the corner of the alleyway. He was relieved when the man vanished.

**[You]:** This package isn’t a bomb right?

**[Alibaba]:** If it was, do you really think I’d tell you?

**[You]:** Well accomplices in crime always tell each other stuff you know?

**[Alibaba]:** You’re definitely a weird one.

**[Alibaba]:** You and your Phantom Thieves.

**[Alibaba]:** Inside the package should be communication devices.

Akira snickered as he started to exit the alleyway and back onto the main city streets, molding in with the rest of the crowd.

**[You]:** Oooooh, you mean like in those spy movies?

**[Alibaba]:**

**[Alibaba]:** Sure.

**[You]:** Well I got the package, I’m going to head back.

Akira took the subway back to Leblanc, immediately running up the stairs to the attic and plopping the small package onto the desk that was tucked away in the corner. He opened the small box, jaw dropping when he saw the contents. They were like the pieces of technology he saw in the movies. He counted three sets. 

**[Alibaba]:** There should be loopy looking pieces, they sit around your neck. Be sure to wear those or the earpieces won’t work.

They would work perfectly.

* * *

‘ _Three days left.’_

As soon as they had accepted Alibaba’s request, the Phantom Thieves decided they needed more training. As much as Akira hated the last time they practiced, climbing the park walls, it was mandatory. Sure they could do normal workouts at Protein Lovers or something, but running around a track and running because he was going to be caught by authorities were different.

That’s why they were at… abandoned apartment complexes apparently.

They miraculously managed to find a secluded and quiet spot. There were some buildings close together, railings that Akira wasn’t sure were 100% safe, and each building had etches in the walls. As if they were segmented, allowing them places to put their hands and shoes. The best part was it was all abandoned. Well most of it, so likely no one would call the cops for three hooligans climbing around like crazed children that didn’t actually know how to climb.

Akira hated how he had to go out and buy new shoes for this. His previous ones didn’t have any traction, which he would desperately need.

“I’m going to break an ankle here,” Akira sighed, a gym bag slung over his shoulder as he observed the area. 

“Guess I’ll die,” Ann groaned, slumping over as they observed the vicinity. “Akira do we have leftover funds for a funeral?”

“Nope,” he popped the p, “gave it all to Alibaba for tech funds and for the suits.”

“Damn,” she mocked disappointment. 

“I did even know there was a place like this,” Ryuji crossed his arms and shifted his weight. “But this is great! This allows for more experience, and no authorities coming after us.”

“More experience would be rooftop running and fleeing the authorities,” Akira snickered. He honestly expected that the three of them would have to result in finding a quiet place to run around, considering there weren’t many places to actually practice what was essentially parkour. Not in Japan anyways.

“But we’re not doing that right now,” Ryuji offered him an unimpressed look, which Akira only met with more jest. 

“We could be! Hear me out. Ann, you, and me— running on the local rooftops, uh oh! Suddenly a security guard sees us, we start to flee but the only way down is the emergency staircase and the piping!” Akira slung an arm around Ryuji, the other gesturing as if that would help the blonde truly envision the bullshit he was spewing.

“Aaaaaand the story ends with we go to jail for real,” Ann bemusedly finished for him, and Akira simply pouted. 

“If anything, you should be going to jail for trying to wear your school uniform out here,” Ryuji simpered. He was referring to how Ann earlier messaged the group chat, asking if she should wear her gym clothes. 

Ann puffed her cheeks out in annoyance, stomping her foot harshly. “Hey! I’m not one to usually do things like this!”

“Whatever makes you feel better there, Ann,” Ryuji nodded bemusedly. He gently tapped Akira’s shoulder and the teen raised an eyebrow. “Think you can get up that wall?”

Akira immediately pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned, “I swear to god, if you take off and try to climb that thing to one-up me I will—”

_‘Too late,’_ the blonde had already taken off. Using the segments of the wall for gripping and placement, Ryuji managed to work his way up the wall. By no means was it fast though. His movements were too hesitant and calculated as he tried to decide what the best way up was. All Akira could do was press a closed fist to his mouth to keep him from audibly gasping. Especially when his foot slipped and he could see the fear that pierced through the blonde’s confidence. Akira immediately went to rush forward, but the blond regained his footing.

“He’s going to break a leg. He will break a leg.” Ann commented, both her hands on her hips as his eyes trailed Ryuji reached the top. Immediately the aforementioned blonde sat on top of the ledge and waved down to them. 

“Would you look at that, the show-off blesses us with his presence once again,” Akira jocosely teased, shitting his weight as he spoke. 

“Great! But hey genius, I got a question for you,” Ann’s voice was orotund, and Akira knew something was up. “How’re you gonna get down?”

The paleness that came to the blonde’s face was instantaneous, and Akira started to wheeze, doubling over and placing his hands on his knees. 

“Oh shit.”

* * *

Akira wondered if entering this place would ever not be unnerving. But he also wondered how Ryuji exactly knew about this place to begin with. He’s already been to Untouchables a few times, once to pick up the supplies from their whole Kamoshida break-in. Another to sell the medal.

The look on Iwai’s face that day was priceless. 

“Hey,” the student greeted as he opened the door. It was pretty dead in here.

Iwai looked up from whatever he was reading, eyebrow raised questioning. “Are you here to pawn something else off, kid?”

“Nah, nothing like that,” Akira shrugged as he drew closer to the counter. “The other day when I came in here. You gave me a paper bag, I looked inside.”

“Ah,” Iwai took a deep breath. “It was a model gun, I made it for a customer. Wanted it to look as real as possible. You can keep it, after all you did help me by getting it out of here. Consider yourself an accomplice, kid.”

_‘I know, we used it and it worked really well,’_ Akira mentally commented. He wasn’t sure how to respond to the statement. “Well, thanks. Is there any way I can see more of the models?”

Iwai seemed stunned for a moment. “Let’s talk in the back.”

The shop owner got up, leading Akira to a rather cluttered back room. Iwai sat down on a chair, leaning forward with a scrutinous gaze as Akira leaned back on a shelf. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m just an enthusiast,” Akira shrugged in response, yet Iwai didn’t seem to like his answer.

“At your age? Well… I suppose you got the heart of an enthusiast,” Iwai leaned back into the chair, jaw resting in his hands as if he was thinking. “Hold on a moment, this could actually work.”

_‘What the hell is he talking about?’_ Akira pushed himself off the shelf, offering the shop owner a confused gaze.

“I can grant that wish, but kid these things aren’t cheap, they can reach millions if I’m feeling it,” Iwai warned, voice cautious. The student nodded, as if telling the owner to continue.

“You’re a strange one kid, look I’m not a bad guy. I’ve been known to make compromises, so here. How about you help me out with my business, and in turn, I can offer you a special selection with good prices?” Iwai offered, standing up and walking over to the student. “How about it?”

Akira shifted his weight as he dwelled it over. Without Iwai, there’s no doubt they would be able to get their hands on anything good. Nor would they be able to sell anything they steal. “I’ll do what I can.”

“That’s fine, I’ll work on that special menu for you. You should be grateful.” Iwai held out his hand to shake on the deal. Akira grabbed the other’s hand, giving it a firm shake before he retracted. He supposed he just made a deal.

“Speaking of the menu, got any other guns I could buy?”

* * *

“Where is she?” Ryuji thrummed his foot against the floorboards of the cafe impatiently, and Akira was running out of soothing phrases to tell the blonde. 

“She’ll be here, after all, she did have to go pick them up,” Akira rested his head in his hands, leaning onto the bar as his eyes were fixated on the door. Sojiro had gone for the night and the cafe was officially closed so they left nothing but a lamp on downstairs to make sure they didn’t draw attention from the street. 

“I didn’t think it would take that long,” Ryuji whined, leaning back on the bar stools. He must have forgotten they were backless cause he nearly toppled out of it, catching himself last minute. His eyes were blown wide with panic, the look of pure concentrated relief when he stilled himself. 

“Serves you— ah,” Akira stopped when he heard someone rap on the door. He walked over and unlocked it to see Ann beaming. She pushed past him holding a rather large box. 

“I took a peek, and they are absolutely stunning!” She set the package down with a large thud, rattling the counter slightly. Akira locked the door before he came back to help her open the package. She eagerly shoved a wrapped outfit into his hands. Through the protective layer laid a white mask on top. The section where the holes for the eyes had been formed was rimmed with black. It was just the mask and it looked great.

“Dibs on your room first!” Ryuji called as he was already running up the stairs with his outfit. 

“Dibs on the bathroom!” Ann retorted, as she was already closing the door. 

Akira’s gaze fell back down to the package. He supposed… he could change down here. The Phantom Thief decided that he’d opt for the pushed back part of the store, where all the extra supplies were kept. When he finally slipped the suit on, he was amazed by the details. It was definitely high quality, and there was no way that Ann paid for these with just the money they had gotten from the medal.

He turned his gloved hands back and forth, still in disbelief. How could a designer pull all this from a simple statement of black and red? 

“Woah, dude…” Ryuji’s voice was breathless. “That oddly fits you.”

“I still could’ve been changing you know,” Akira quipped, crossing his arms over his chest. Something about the mask and the outfit gave him something akin to a confidence boost. It was a different kind of rush, and he loved it.

“Figured you weren’t,” Ryuji shrugged, drawing closer as if to see the details of the outfit. The closer the blonde came, the more that Akira could make out the details of his suit. A popped collar, pronounced yellow gloves, a vest with what appeared to be metal running down the side topped off with a skull mask. He had to say, the outfit oddly fit the blonde too. 

“Is that real metal?” Akira raised a brow, gesturing to the parts on the other student’s knees. 

“No idea,” Ryuji chuckled, taking a look at his own outfit. “If they are, they’re a light material, not heavy at all. Whatever Ann told the designer—”

“What about me?” Ann piped, voice with newfound confidence.

Her look sported a similar tone to theirs. Her mask was shaped like a feline and was crimson red. A leather jacket whose sleeves stopped at her elbows, shoulders decked out with bloody spikes. When she turned it revealed a back with a pattern of black roses, and he could see a red tail connected to a studded red belt. She had on a black turtleneck underneath, tucked into black pants that met the tops of calf-high boots. 

“Well, what do you think, aren’t these awesome or what?” She chimed, slipping on her other black glove. It was black and met the edge of her sleeve.

“They’re absolutely perfect! How’d you do it though?” Ryuji was still in disbelief, as evident by his voice.

“I am quite curious, after all once the designer sees their suits all over won’t they know who they went to?” Akira couldn’t help but tug on the edge of his own glove. 

“I have my ways,” She proudly announced, a thumb pointing to her chest. The room fell silent and she slumped over in defeat. “I pulled a few strings, got the order under the pretense of another name— to be honest, Alibaba helped me with most of it. Making the payments untrackable and whatnot,” she waved her hand in dismissal.

“I guess we owe Alibaba for a few things then,” Akira scratched at the back of his neck. “First things first— we should probably start using code names.”

“Ooh! Good idea! Man,” Ryuji clapped his hands, but the crispness was dampened by the fabric of gloves. “We should start with our fearless leader over here.”

Akira couldn’t tell if that was a joke. Regardless, when they looked at him expectantly he just shrugged. “It’s wrong for me to name myself.”

“Hmm, what about…” Ann hummed as she thought, head leaning into the palm of her hand. “Arsene?”

“Do not name me after the thief we read about today in class,” Akira sighed, hands naturally falling to his packets. _‘It even has pockets!’_

“Trickster?” Ryuji recommended it, but even he didn’t seem fond of the idea.

“Not feeling it,” the leader sighed. 

“Well then—”

“Joker!” Ryuji pointed at him, and Akira stilled. 

_‘Joker, huh?’_ Akira tapped his chin in thought, a smile curving his lips. 

“You know, with that cocky ass look on your face, it suits you,” Ann chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Akira nodded in agreement. “Joker it is, well what about you Ryuji?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, to be honest. I need something that sounds cool! Reckless even!” He cheered, excitement growing with each syllable. 

“Pirate? Swashbuckler?” Akira snorted in amusement, and Ryuji’s face fell flat. 

“Now you’re just effin around, I may have a skull… but Pirate seems too easy I guess.” Ryuji sighed. 

“Why not just do Skull then?” Ann questioned and Ryuji seemed dazed. His mouth dropped open as if he never even thought of that idea, just staring blankly ahead. 

“It does suit your mask and all,” Akira added. 

“Why didn’t I think of Skull?” He grumbled probably more to himself than to them. “Well, that just leaves you, Ann.”

“I mean you did go all cat theme so I feel like—” Akira started but was quickly cut off. 

“Panther! My code name is Panther!” She boasted, as if she had been lingering on the idea her whole life. Maybe she really did pickpocket people in her spare time.

“Then it’s settled, we just wait for Alibaba and we go.” Joker sunk back, shoulder relaxing. Or he tried to relax, knowing that today could very well be the day he was arrested.

_Brzzzt!_

Akira jumped at the grating noise of the phone vibrating on metal. He blindly reached over and picked up the device. 

**[Alibaba]:** Speak of the devil and she shall appear

**[Alibaba]:** Are you thieves ready to go?

**[Alibaba]:** Put the gear I sent you on and let's go.

* * *

Joker didn’t know if he was thankful the voice across their new coms was artificial rather than a real one. Granted, it was much better than the AI voices that the thief always heard around.

“Take a left,” the modulated voice demanded. 

Joker did as ordered, sticking low to the ground. It was almost uncanny how natural the suits felt. It really felt like they were true thieves now, and all that really changed was the outfit. 

“I’ve turned off the motion plates, I’ll leave them off until you get by the guard. Hurry.” The voice chimed once again. 

Steadily, and refusing to take his eyes off the guard for a few seconds, he inched closer to the entrance. 

“I said hurry, not steady step.” The voice chimed. 

_‘I want to see you out here in the dead of night trying to rob a warehouse,’_ Joker mental quipped, slipping under the barricade, followed by his two companion thieves. 

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Alibaba,” Joker warned, voice small yet still forceful. Remaining on the toes of his boots he continued to crepe forward, eyes darting from side to side on constant surveillance. 

“I do know, there’s a back door I can get you guys through, from there you’re going to go up the stairs, four floors up. Place is crawling with security though.” The automatic voice responded, Akira didn’t know if he was imagining the tone of annoyance or not. “Now keep going for about 15 meters, stick close to the sides of the buildings. Guards can be anywhere, use the crates to hide if so.”

Joker made a mental note of the recommendation. There were crates stacked and littered everywhere. He presumed they got moved during the day. Ducking behind some for cover, he glanced around, when it was clear he passed over the top of it. Keeping his steps as quiet as possible, he remained as close to the side of the building as possible. The thief peered around a corner of the stacked metal crates, blood turning to ice.

_‘Guards already huh? What the hell is this place,’_ Joker mentally winced, holding up a hand. The three kept their backs pressed against the creates, palms flush on the surface. Joker squeezed his eyes shut as the antagonizing footsteps drew nearer. Nearer. Nearer. He couldn’t tell if it was the pounding in his ears or footsteps he was hearing.

Until they abruptly stopped.

The footsteps retreated from where they came, and Joker took in a big relieved inhale.

“Make a dash for the door.” The voice commanded.

“Are you trying to get us killed, even worse, arrested?!” Ryuji hissed, leaning over the corner to look at the guard who was still relatively close.

“Trust me and go!” 

Joker didn’t hesitate as he ripped himself from the wall, bounding to the door and silently opening it. Ryuji and Ann slipped in first, then Akira briskly entered, softly letting the door close. 

“Now continue down this hall, there’s no guards for a while so feel free to dash, I’ll let you know otherwise.”

Joker rolled his eyes and sped up to a light jog, as fast as he could while keeping quiet steps. He felt the spur of the moment pounding adrenaline, how his heart hammered away at his ribcage as if it wanted to escape. The logical part of his mind screaming.

He wondered how long— how many missions— it would be before it was silenced. 

The thief made sure to take in as many details as he could, though he stopped running when a security camera came into view.

“No worries, I’m playing back footage, they have no idea you’re here,” the automated voice comforted. 

Akira smiled, “you thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“Duh.” It was weird hearing such a comment come from a monotone voice. “Now up the stairs.”

_‘This is all too familiar—’_

“Incoming guards are coming down from the third floor, duck into the second floor and find the other stairwell.”

Joker’s eye twitched, but nonetheless the three of them made their way up the stairs and found themselves on the second floor. As soon as they exited the stairwell, Joker could hear the brisk clicking of heels.

“There’s other people still here. Damn. I thought it was all cleared out, don’t panic. You’re thieves, right? Do your sneaking, the doorway to the other stairwell is 200 meters away.”

Joker wrinkled his nose as the heels grew closer, a woman’s voice now echoing through the halls. 

“I told you, I want every floor, every room check tonight— no I will not wait!” The voice grew closer and it was now evident she wasn’t going to turn down any other hall. The thief swallowed as he could hear the footsteps on the other side of the door to the stairwell. He didn’t have time to overthink, he needed to act.

He darted down the left of the hall, taking one of the paths that branched off. The harsh lights from the main hall didn’t reach back here. Joker leaned out slightly, watching the woman pass by in the main hall as the two guards stepped onto the floor.

“Hate to break it to you, but you should probably follow those guards,” the automated voice chimed, making Joker jump slightly.

“Figured,” was the only response he gave. Joker nodded to the other two, lowering himself slightly as he took soft steps and remained a safe distance from the guards. 

_‘Convenient, there are even boxes in here too.’_ The thief noted, shading himself with one of the creates. As they followed, they alternated between using the opening of new branching hallways, open rooms, and creating to make a cover. The guards were talking amongst themselves as they swept through the halls, though Akira had no idea what for.

“On the next opening here, take the first door. Looks like the guards won’t be going up. When I say go, go. I can only afford to keep the door open for ten seconds before their security catches on.”

“Of course it would, ‘cause why would this be easy?” Joker mocked in disdain. “Give us the word.”

“Hold on, give me a moment, there’s a guard coming down the hall, and it’s gonna be a tight squeeze—”

“Alibaba.” Joker groaned.

“Go!”

The thieves abandoned their crates and sprang down the open hallway, ripping open the door and back into the stairwells. As soon they passed through the threshold, the door clicked.

This was ridiculous. 

“Hurry up the stairs, I think the guard noticed something odd.”

“Why can’t these guards be as lazy as the one at the schools?” Panther whined as they ascended the stairs.

“They’re paid loads more,” Skull retorted, bitterness in his voice. “What did this guy take from you that he couldn’t just buy?”

“You’re not out of the clear yet,” The voice reprimanded. Or at least Joker thought it was reprimanding them. As far as cyber voices went anyways.

“Fourth floor right? Can we get there without traversing the third?” Joker interjected.

There was silence on the other line for a moment. “Yes, if you hurry.”

“Hurry seems to be your favorite order,” Joker bit, quickening his pace. He practically counted the steps as they passed by the sign for the third floor. Just as they opened the stairwell door to the fourth, the one from the third opened. He caught their voices just as the door closed.

“Did you see that? The door up there was open, should we che—”

_‘Shit,’_ Joker bit his lip as he ushered the three immediately into the room across the stairwell door. 

“Hey, this isn’t a part of the plan.” 

Joker didn’t respond, slipping inside the room and closing it gently, all the lights in here were on. It must’ve been recently accessed, which means someone was bound to come back. The thief let out a shaky sigh, looking all around the room for places to take cover. There was a secretary desk to which Joker popped open the cabinet's bellow.

“Panther, can you fit?” Joker asked and she shrugged, walking over she folded herself into the space, closing the door herself. 

He heard the stairwell door open, and Joker immediately pointed to the executive desk. Skull and Joker both immediately dove under the desk, but not without smashing their heads first. SKull groaned, and Joker bit down on his lip, hand flying to his head. 

“Fuck.” The blonde complained, eyes widening as he realized his mistake.

“Hey, I think I heard something from in here,” Joker heard from the other side of the door. There was a knock, and without any hesitance, the door opened. 

Slow footsteps entered the room, and Joker could hear the stop just before the other side of the executive desk. Skull and Joker stared at each other, paralyzed in fear.

Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Don’t get caught.

“I swear I heard something,” the guard stated, then exited the room, closing the door behind him. They remained like that for a while, until Alibaba came on coms.

“You’re clear now. Though the guards are more hesitant it appears, nice thinking though.”

Joker stretched out, rubbing his poor head as he walked over to the secretary desk and popped the cabinet open. Panther crawled out and immediately glared at the other blonde, who held his hands up in defense. 

“Way to go, Skull.”

“Hey it—”

“Focus.” The Phantom Thief leader reminded. “We can’t afford to be distracted right now. Alibaba, where to next?”

“The case should be in the room at the very end of the main hall that intersects the one with the stairwell. Thanks to your little accident, the guards are actually busy searching other rooms, so you bought yourselves some time. So exit this room, turn left—” Joker followed the directions, turning left and coming to the main hallway.

It was empty, but he had a strange feeling it wouldn’t be empty for long.

“Now turn left again, and you see that metal door? I’m unlocking it now.”

Joker didn’t need to be told to hustle again. He took off with a sprint, no longer wanting to loiter in a strand that had no cover. Just as he reached the door, the keypad lit green and he tugged it open with a swift pull. As the three entered, Akira backed into the room, eyes trained on the hall as he quietly shut the door. 

“Get a load of all this stuff, what is this?” Ann sounded breathless, but not the kind from sprinting. More like disbelief. 

When Joker turned around, the thief’s eyes widened in shock. It was a vast room, and there were seemingly assorted things in there. Most of it seemed like… lab equipment? They passed by some tables, looking over the items that rested on them for some black box. But there were papers piled high, strewn carelessly over the steel countertops. Some of the tables had bits of what seemed to be machine parts, and there was even a microscope on one. It was some serious research material. No doubt someone’s life work.

_‘Who does this belong to?’_ The question burned more than ever. Joker refrained from touching anything, but seeing a bookshelf pushed against the wall he couldn’t help the curiosity that peaked. He looked closer to the shelves, and without thinking he pulled a file off the shelf. He lived with his uncle and brother long enough to understand what it was.

_‘What’s a case file doing here?’_ Joker narrowed his eyes, opening the cover. He immediately flinched when he saw pictures of a crime scene, a woman’s presumably dead body. He tried not to focus too much on the pictures. Using a finger he lifted the picture to peer at the name. It was redacted. The thief chewed on the inside of his cheek as he skimmed over the report. It was apparently a suicide but he didn’t know who the woman was. _‘Who redacted names from reports?’_

“Hey I think I got it,” Skull called out, and Joker closed the case file, putting back on the shelf. Sure enough, the blonde was standing in front of some pedestal looking thing where the black box rested. Without thinking he started reaching for it.

“Wait! Do—” The automatic voice started. It was too late. The blonde grabbed the box off the pedestal, and no sooner alarms started to blare, a hideous screeching noise echoing in the room. Joker sucked in a shaky breath, making frantic eye contact with his teammates. It didn’t need to be said they needed to leave. 

“I’ll guide you out—” The voice suddenly switched from something programmed to what sounded like… a real human? “No time to waste! Can you climb down the sides of buildings?”

Joker froze. He wasn’t intending on climbing down the sides of any buildings. “Well good time to learn! Skull, pick up something heavy, there’s a window behind you. I want you to throw the object at the window and smash it.”

Without any question, the blond tossed the black box to Ann, and picked up some seemingly random object and chucked it at the glass. Predictable it shattered, the shards flying everywhere but the cries of the shattering hidden by the blaring alarms. 

“Out the window! Climb down onto the scaffolding!” The voice ordered, sounding frantic and concentrated. It sounded… young? Joker clapped his hands to get Panther’s attention, and she stared at him a moment before she finally tossed the black box over. 

Skull was the first one out the window, practically clambering down the wall as if it was second nature. He landed on the roof of what must’ve been a shed with a dull thud. Panther gave him a nervous glare, and when the door slammed open she practically jumped from the window, slipping the entire way down the support of the scaffolding until Ryuji caught her at the bottom. Joker followed her suit, using each bar of the scaffolding to land onto the platform. It seemed like it descended further down in several layers, and truth be told, Joker couldn’t see the bottom, it was too dark. The only hint was that the metal of the structure glinted with the ambient light.

“From here you should be able—” Alibaba was cut short.

“Over here! I see them! Get out of there!” A guard called, shining a flashlight up. Joker’s eyes widened in horror as his pulse raged uncontrollably. His mind went on autopilot. He didn’t know what he was doing. He immediately shuffled to the side, balancing on a beam, Joker made his way to a corner. He prayed with every fiber of his being he didn’t slip off the bars. He kept one hand tracing the wall, the other still clutching the handle of the box. He dropped down a level of the structure, standing by a window. When the thief turned and caught a glimpse inside, he made eye contact with a woman, whose face was a mix of furious and stunned.

“Go go go go!” Skull chanted, heavily dropping onto the platform, rattling it slightly. Joker picked up his pace, weaving under the support bars. Jumping over others with an addled mind. There was nowhere to go. No ladder that descended down. Joker took a deep breath, approaching a corner he looked over the side.

It was a long-ass drop down.

“You three! Stop! Get out from there! We’ve got you surrounded!” A distant guard called after them, but he had no intention of stopping.

He didn’t listen as Joker hoisted himself over the side, using bars protruded to scramble down the side. 

“Joker! If we slip we die!” Panther hissed, yet she too was pushing herself over the edge, lowering herself down.

“Then don’t slip,” he commanded, every so often looking at the ground below them that grew closer and close, placing the handle of the box in his mouth as he could use both hands.

Joker landed at the bottom, stumbling as he failed to properly absorb shock. Frantically looking around, he knew that they were enclosed, they weren’t even on the outer perimeters of the warehouse. He could hear the crazed shouting above, indistinguishable. Good to know the guards were just at a loss on what to do as they were.

“We’re stuck!” Panther cried, shrinking into herself as she searched for a solution.

_‘Thinkthinkthinkt—’_

“Where do we go?!” Skull demanded and the Phantom Thief leader immediately darted for the first promising thing. A ladder. He had no clue where it went but it was better than waiting for the guards to come to them. He skipped steps as he clambered down into the dark and damp underneath the warehouse. Though he could see several exits from here. 

“I think they went down here!” One of the guards called, hauling open a giant metal door, several other guards with him. Joker held his arm out and slowly backed up, the three of them cowering into the corner of shadows. With meticulous eyes, the three studying and counted each of the guards, who searched in all the wrong places. It seemed like they were there for eternity, just sitting ducks.

“Where could they have gone?!”

“Did we check the perimeters?”

“They couldn’t have gotten that far yet.”

As soon as the guards left the three clambered down the last ladder. Joker skipped the last few steps. Dashing to a door and bolting through it. Where did it go? Who knows! He could hear the call of sirens and he had no intention of staying to see them. Joker could hear his teammates’ hefty footsteps behind them as they raced away from the warehouse. He had no clue where they were, they weren’t even on the side of the building they entered through. He just followed the one thought that echoed in his mind.

Run.

“You did it! Good work Phantom Thieves! Now let me help you get out of here!” Alibaba congratulated 

No one replied, they didn’t have the air to.

Alibaba did as promised, led them back to their meet up spot. Swiftly changing out of their thieving clothes before they headed back to Yongen-Jaya.

“I think we just about,” Ann took a deep breath and exhaled, “Set off every alarm in that building.”

“Let’s agree… no more big guns until we get the hang of this… okay?” Akira wheezed out, his side aching with tremendous pain. Back flush against the wall as he tried to regain his breath. Once again, every limb in his body felt so exhausted, but the adrenaline that walloped in his veins told him to keep running. Run. Go until he couldn’t anymore. Until he physically gave out— or until the concrete beneath him fell out. Until the blaring of alarms was nothing but a distant call.

“You got it, Joker…” Ryuji offered him a weak finger gun.

“I second that notion,” Ann raised her hand. 

“The PTs need some training…” Akira wheezed out “but most importantly a break."

“But you did it.” The voice was automatic again. “I’ll contact you further tomorrow. Thank you, Phantom Thieves.”

“Hey wait a minute—” Akira started, but the other end of the line was just radio static. He sighed. “They’re gone.”

* * *

The next morning, he couldn’t move. Every part of his body ached, especially his legs with all the drops he did. There were assorted bruises that appeared, and it made Akira wonder if he must’ve hit a few bars by accident. It took him ages to actually get out of bed. At least this time he didn’t have to get up for school or anything. 

_Brrzztt!_

Akira groaned as he rolled over to his side to pick his phone up. He squinted at the screen, eyes not quite adjusted to the brightness just yet. 

**[Alibaba]:** Okay you’ve slept long enough. 

**[You]:** Hey I literally ran from the cops yesterday

**[You]:** I need my beauty rest.

**[Alibaba]:** I want that box

**[You]:** And I want sleep :/

**[You]:** Besides, I have to meet up with you to drop it off and you haven’t told me any details

**[Alibaba]:** Or you could just leave it someplace for me to pick up?

**[You]:** Uh? I’d rather not, I don’t know if you’d pick it up or some rando

**[You]:** We literally risked our asses for this box.

**[Alibaba]:** Mail

**[You]:** Like you’d give me an address

Alibaba went silent. 

Akira sat up, a hand flying to his head as he felt the room spin around him from sitting up to fast. Once the world stopped teetering, he yawned and stretched, feeling something in his back pop. _‘I don’t even know if I can walk, everything hurts so bad.’_

Akira eventually rolled out of bed and got presentable enough to sit downstairs, slightly listening to the news. It was enlightening and comical, taking a lot of stress off Akira’s shoulders. They were talking about the break-in last night. The Phantom Thieves— despite being noted to society as three juveniles who are completely incompetent— had run circles around the populace of Tokyo. Even the newscasters didn’t know what to think, and the transfer student loved it.

He spent most of this morning helping out in the cafe. Sojiro had asked him if he wanted to, and with no obligations Akira found himself agreeing. There was so much about making coffee and Akira finally understood why there were whole classes on them. That was only after learning how to make a couple of drinks! Never mind the whole menu. The student yawned as he reclined onto his bed, mindlessly scrolling through his phone. Yu’s name and contact picture flashed onto the screen as a call came in. Akira answered without hesitation.

“Hey, sorry I’ve been really busy and tired,” Akira immediately apologized. “I’ll try and keep in touch more.”

“I figured, don’t worry about it. I was just seeing how you’re holding up,” Yu’s voice was easy going and relaxed. “Has Mom messaged you yet?”

Akira’s breath hitched in his throat. “No, she hasn’t. You?”

“No, I think she’s caught up in some major work stuff.” Yu’s voice sounded empty. 

Their mother was currently away overseas, working. It wasn’t unusual. Though she had no idea about anything. Akira’s move to Tokyo. His assault record. Never mind the thieving. Not that Yu knew about the thieving part either. Akira practically begged his uncle not to tell his mother, and he was lucky enough that his uncle stepped in to help him. 

All she knew was that he was in Inaba starting his second year at Yasogami High School. Their mother was going to be gone the entirety of their probation. The teenager chewed at his bottom lip. He should probably expect a text from her soon. What was he to say when she inevitably did?

_‘Sorry that I haven’t texted you, Mom! Been too busy settling into school!’_

_‘Uncle Dojima grounded me because I was out too late— didn’t have my phone, my bad!’_

_‘Mom you sure missed a lot! I’m a felon now!’_

Akira was ripped from his thoughts when Yu spoke again. There was a twinge of concern that was on the edge of his tone. “I saw the news by the way. Apparently it happened a while ago, were you ever planning on telling me?”

Ah. Right. Kamoshida’s arrest wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret or anything. Especially with the involvement of a possible thief group. Akira listlessly flicked something off his bed as he responded. “I’m fine, I didn’t want to worry you, I didn’t know that particular teacher.” 

_‘Liar.’_ His consciousness supplied, and Akira winced. 

“I suppose I should be thankful for that,” Yu sighed in relief. “You generate enough trouble by yourself. 

_‘If only you knew.’_ Akira discreetly chortled. “What are you talking about, I’ll have you know I am a well-behaved student.”

“Sure, hey I was wondering— ah what was that?” his brother’s voice grew distant, as if no longer talking to him. Akira heard some rustling, and eventually, he faintly heard Yu call out to his soulmate. Akira snorted as the line was silent for a minute before Yu’s voice came back. “I gotta go, I thought I could talk longer but they need me. Dang, every time I call you too…”

“You go Mr. Important-Investigator-Man, I’ll always be here for when you’re off. Unless I’m busy being a good student. Tell Yosuke I said hi.”

“Can’t you tell him yourself?” 

“I could.” Akira shrugged his shoulders despite the fact Yu couldn’t see him. “But that would break our streak of sending stupid pictures of you back and forth.”

Yu gave a drawn out sigh, “of course it would. Anyways I really gotta go now, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” Akira pulled the phone away from his ear, he made a mental note to make time for a longer call with Yu.

Sojiro came to stand before Akira on the opposite side of the counter. “Family I presume?”

“My older brother,” Akira answered, staring down at his now blackened phone screen. The cafe owner simply nodded before continuing about his business just as Akira’s phone went off again. When he read the message he nearly toppled out of the seat.

**[Alibaba]:** I’ll meet you. But just you.

* * *

_Breaking news! Warehouse robbed, could it be by the Phantom Thieves?_

The detective sat alone in the room he typically occupied. Ever since these thieves came up, everything at the precinct has been chaotic.

Goro pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked over the reports. How was it that an entire security personnel lost three teenagers that didn’t know what they were doing? The detective leaned forward, reaching across his desk to pick up a picture. The three individuals in it were too blurry to properly see, but he had reason to believe it was the Phantom Thieves. The descriptors matched the same build as the thieves in question, despite their upgrade in aesthetics.

“You’ve lucked out, Phantom Thieves,” Goro’s nose scrunched as he set the picture down. “But it will run out, and I will be the one to see you behind bars.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a pain to write ;;;; I have so many drafts of this chapter its nuts. Also I did change Ann's outfit because quite frankly I'm not a fan of the OG one-- but also it just didn't make sense for a thief AU. That audacious red would have them spotted in minutes and we're not about that and neither are they. These kids are too young for jail. I actually have a sketch of it and I'll drop it down here when I actually have the time to drop it in here. 
> 
> That being said-- I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your support throughout this story, it's been a great time so far!


End file.
